


Beautifully Unfinished

by fandommatchmaker19



Category: The Originals (TV)
Genre: Angst, Drama, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Romance, Slow Burn, Trauma
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-13
Updated: 2020-07-23
Packaged: 2020-08-20 18:43:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 84,474
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20232580
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fandommatchmaker19/pseuds/fandommatchmaker19
Summary: What if 5x06 had ended differently? Caroline Forbes, Alaric Saltzman and Jeremy Gilbert manage to save Hayley from Greta, but Hayley's werewolf side is still bound. When Hope reunites the Mikaelsons and Elijah comes back, how will things change between the former hybrid and the Original vampire? How will past trauma, feelings and family bring Hayley and Elijah back to each other?





	1. Saved by Caroline Forbes

**Author's Note:**

> I have no idea if anyone misses Haylijah or is into Haylijah fics, but I suddenly missed them and decided to publish this, so here you go! Hope you enjoy! This picks up during 5x06!

Greta’s hand was clamped over her neck, the older woman’s fingers squeezing her airways slowly. Hayley gasped as Klaus entered the farmhouse, no doubt to rescue both her and Hope, though she was quite ready to tell him to grab Hope and run. Her gaze flashed from Klaus to Roman, who had refused to do his mother’s bidding for once, and now stood protectively over Hope. Her hazel eyes met Klaus’ for a second, and a silent agreement to save Hope transpired between them. But, just as Klaus was about to run to their daughter, Hayley heard him growl in pain and looked to see that someone – _Elijah _– shoved a wooden stake through Klaus’ chest.

“Elijah…” she gasped upon settling her gaze on the man, though she should’ve known as she’d heard the hail falling from the sky and indication that another Mikaelson was around. And, the grunt of fighting had told her that it wasn’t Rebekah or Kol. Elijah stopped briefly upon hearing her voice and she could see it in his eyes, the betrayal and the confusion flooding onto his face. Despite the many years that had passed between them, Hayley could read him just as well as before. But the moment was brief because Elijah shoved the stake deeper in Klaus’ chest, causing the Originals hybrid to collapse. Then he moved towards the room where Roman and Hope were. And, Hayley hoped that he would by some miracle save her daughter, Hope, but he put his hand on Roman’s shoulder and Hayley’s heart broke into a million pieces. Then, as if on cue, Greta shoved her hand through Hayley’s chest, causing the former hybrid to scream in pain and gasp breathlessly as Greta tightened her grip on her neck. _This is it, _Hayley thought, lifting her eyes up.

She looked at Klaus, blood dripping from his mouth as he struggled, the stake his brother used still impaling him. Then, she looked to her daughter, Hope, sleeping peacefully in Roman’s arms. And, then, finally she looked at Elijah, the love of her life, her soulmate, the man she had once said she had felt everything for, siding with the enemy. But, this wasn’t the same Elijah. This version of Elijah did not remember the countless promises he had once made. To always protect her. To never let anything happen to her. That man, who was so gallant, selfless, kind, eloquent, that man was gone. Then, Hayley’s eyes lifted to the sky and her eyelashes fluttered slightly before she freed her hand and was about to rip Greta’s finger, the one with the daylight ring, off. And, then there was light.

The farmhouse was flooded by light and Hayley tried to shield herself with Greta before there was a whizzing sound and an arrow was suddenly imbedded in Greta’s neck, causing the woman to loosen her grip on Hayley. This also caused Klaus to look up and Hayley could make out two male figures entering the farmhouse. One pulled the stake out of Klaus’ chest, the Original hybrid hissing in pain.

“Oops,” Alaric Saltzman quipped smugly. Hayley breathed, relieved. Elijah left Roman’s side to run at the so-called intruders but was met by several wooden bullets in the chest, causing the Original to collapse. Klaus, now free rushed towards Greta from the behind and Hayley managed to rip the woman’s ring finger off before Klaus ripped her heart out. Hayley rushed in the opposite direction, shielding herself from the sun’s rays. It was a veritable battlefield when Caroline Forbes-Salvatore entered the farmhouse. The figure beside Alaric turned out to be Jeremy Gilbert. Klaus turned to the three, and in a rare moment thanked them with tears in his eyes before rushing to her, his eyes searching hers.

“Are you alright, Little Wolf?” he asked tenderly. Hayley looked into his eyes and saw only concern and fear, and she didn’t want to break him anymore, so she chose to tell only a few things.

“A little bruised and scarred, and I’m gonna need to wait for the sun to set, but I’m fine,” she said, and Klaus gave a half-smile in response.

“What did they do to you?” he asked, though they both knew the answer to that particular question.

“Hayley?” came Caroline’s voice, sympathetic and sad from the doorway. “You okay?” the blonde asked just as they all heard a grunt.

“Yeah, fine,” Hayley murmured softly. “Could you, um, close the door? I burn in the sun now and…” she trailed off, awkward, but Caroline didn’t say anything. Instead she closed the door before returning to her position next to Alaric. Elijah was still lying on the ground, Greta too, and Roman was still holding Hope, his face turned in the opposite direction. Hayley sped, though she almost collapsed, over to Hope and gathered her daughter in her arms. Caroline came to stand by Roman.

“Roman?” the blonde asked softly. “Are you alright?”

“Is she dead?” was the blonde boy’s reply. “My mother?”

“I’m so sorry,” Caroline said, though she really wasn’t. [But, what else was she supposed to say?] Roman’s head fell, curls a messy disarray and he looked at Hope.

“I didn’t know. I had no idea your life was in danger,” he whispered softly before speeding over to his mother’s body. His arms wrapped around the older woman’s torso and he sobbed, collapsing on top of her, blonde curls lying on Greta’s lifeless chest.

“Yes, well, perhaps you should’ve thought twice before teaming up with your psychotic mother, you fool!” Klaus growled at the teen vampire. The hybrid then sped to him and was about to bite him or rip his head off when he was stopped by a certain curly haired blonde.

“Klaus! What did I say about keeping calm?” Caroline hissed, resulting in a snicker from Jeremy Gilbert.

“Yes, well, I only agreed to such madness when I thought my daughter had simply run away with a “handsome” lad from school. You failed to mention he was the son of the man who once murdered werewolves by the dozens, love!” the Original hybrid yelled, dark blue eyes blazing as he turned his attention to the blonde vampire.

“I had no idea Greta was the one who kidnapped Hayley! And, besides, given the amount of enemies you’ve amassed over the past… oh, more than a thousand years, I couldn’t have known she was one of them. Last I checked, you’re not the World’s Most-Beloved Hybrid!” the blonde vampire yelled, crossing her arms as she glared at him.

“Only…” Hayley whispered softly, almost inaudibly, a tear falling from the corner of her eye at the mere idea that she was no longer a hybrid.

“Well, love, I never claimed differently,” Klaus quipped, smirking wickedly at Caroline.

“Um, while watching the two of you flirt is entertaining, there’s ice falling from the skies. I’m gonna take a wild guess here and say that’s because the three of you Mikaelsons are together,” Alaric piped up. This resulted in everyone to suddenly grow quiet and look up. There was a deafening silence as Klaus’ eyes drifted from Caroline to Elijah, from Elijah to Hope and Hayley, then to Roman and Greta.

“I’ll leave,” the older Original brother said from where he was half laying on the floor. Everyone’s attention turned to him. Hayley’s eyes flashed with pain as they settled on him. “I’ll take Roman and Greta’s corpse with me – Antoinette will want to see her mother,” Elijah said.

“What were you saying, little wolf?” Klaus asked, snapping his attention to the mother of his child.

“Nothing, I’m fine,” Hayley said because Klaus was in enough pain as it was and Elijah was lying on the ground and she couldn’t – wouldn’t – add more to the already horrible situation.

“Alright,” Klaus said kindly before snapping his attention over to his brother. “We let you go and you’ll stay away?” Klaus asked, almost disbelieving, as if a part of him was hoping that Elijah would say something along the lines of ‘No, of course not. We protect family always and forever’ but no such luck because Elijah merely nodded.

“Now, could someone please remove these bullets out of me?” Elijah asked bluntly and Caroline bent down to help him, her small delicate fingers searching around the amnesiac Original’s chest.

“You should leave too, Klaus,” Hayley said softly looking up at her daughter’s father.

“I will, soon,” Klaus responded but Hayley shook her head.

“No, Klaus. Now. You have to leave now,” Hayley said, her voice firm though it still shook slightly. “You can’t be here with Hope, or-” she continued, but Klaus cut her off.

“Yes, yes I know all about the biblical blood in the water and all that, Hayley! I don’t care! I want to be there for her!” Klaus snapped and Hayley sighed heavily. She was not in the mood to argue with Klaus, her gaze instead drifting to Elijah, who sat up, dusted himself off before grabbing Roman and Greta’s corpse and vamp-speeding out of the farm house. Hayley tore her gaze away from the spot Elijah had just been before looking over at Klaus.

“Klaus,” she hissed, “go. You have to go,” she glared pointedly at him, but Klaus would not budge. “Please,” she begged, her voice barely above a whisper. “Go. Just go. Please, for Hope.”

“Alright, Little Wolf, I’ll go. Bloody Hollow. Protect my daughter, take care of yourself or I will send someone to do it for you,” he said, resigned. He took a step towards the door, before turning to her. “Hayley?”

“Huh?”

“She’s amazing,” was all he said, and Hayley imagined that was all the compliment of her motherhood skills she would receive from him. “C’mon, love!” he called out to Caroline before whooshing out.

* * *

When night falls, Alaric and Jeremy drop her and Hope off back at the compound and Hayley tucks her daughter into bed before making her way to the balcony, her mind racing, playing memories of her and Elijah like a broken record. There’s a soft knock, and she turns to find Freya standing in the doorway.

“Hey,” the eldest Mikaelson sister says softly, stepping further into the room.

“Hey, Freya,” Hayley greets back. “What’s up?”

Freya opens her palm to reveal a delicate lapis lazuli ring, “here,” she says softly. “This is for you. I can’t imagine how difficult it is for you right now, but I hope this will help a little.”

“Thank you,” Hayley replies, fitting the ring on her right hand ring finger. “Klaus left with Caroline and I haven’t- we didn’t get to really talk about what happened. Enough has happened today, so I just…” she shrugs sadly.

“This won’t be forever, Hayley,” Freya says with conviction. “I’m going to figure something out. You’ll be back to being hybrid in no time,” she reassures, though Hayley isn’t sure she wants to believe her. Silence settles between them as Hayley gazes out over the Quarter before Freya finally breaks it, “have you… have you fed? Maybe you should-”

“I’m fine,” Hayley cuts her off. “I’m fine.”

“Okay, well, I’m gonna go meditate. Try to get some rest,” the blonde suggests, turning around and walking out.

“Freya?”

“Yeah?”

“Thank you,” she says finally before returning her attention to the Quarter, her mind drifting, like it always seemed to since the incident, to Elijah.


	2. Trapped

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hayley finds herself trapped in the chambre de chasse with the Mikalesons. Including the one that would hold her heart forever. And, what happens when Elijah does get his memories back?  
Follows the events of episode 5x08.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this is long overdue, but I've been super busy! This is a longer chaper, so I hope you enjoy!

Klaus answers on the last ring as she steps out of Hope’s bedroom back at the Salvatore School. [She and Freya had decided to bring Hope back, with Caroline’s guarantee that Roman would be staying far away from the school while Klaus was finishing up some business. Obviously, Klaus’ business involved bloodshed because Marcel had just called her to inform her Klaus had bitten Elijah’s girlfriend]. Hayley can’t help but wonder why anyone, especially Marcel, thinks that she could ever talk any sense into Klaus, but she’d shrugged it off and called him anyway.

“What the hell did you do?” she snaps into the receiver as soon as Klaus answers. “What the hell were you thinking?” Her grip on her phone tightens as anger surges through her, and Hayley lets it because being angry at Klaus over biting an innocent woman is easier than feeling the devastation she feels every time her mind drifts back to the events of a few days before.

“Oh, hello to you too, Little Wolf,” Klaus greets her, his tone aloof, and Hayley imagines he’s smirking smugly. _The bastard, _she thinks. “How are you? How is my daughter?” he asks pleasantly, and if they weren’t miles away from each other, Hayley would snap his neck.

“Cut the crap, Klaus! What is wrong with you?” she hisses in annoyance, leaning against the wall behind her. She’s lucky all the students are in class, because they shouldn’t witness Hope’s mother yelling at the Original hybrid on the phone. [It would be decidedly _un_cool, as Caroline would say].

“Oh, for God’s sake, calm down, Hayley,” Klaus sighs and Hayley can practically see him roll his eyes. “I did what had to be done,” Klaus adds and Hayley can’t help but roll her eyes.

“Oh, come on, Klaus! Haven’t you learned anything ever?” she argues, starting to pace in hopes of quashing her anger but it’s futile. She hears footsteps, and looks up to find Caroline Forbes standing in front of her, her arms crossed over her chest, her expression a mixture of judgy and understanding at the same time.

“Hayley, calm down. This is only temporary. Well, it could be permanent. Either way, I don’t care,” Klaus says and if Hayley wasn’t miles away from him, she would have snapped his neck. [Klaus was really lucky there were so many miles between them]. _Klaus? _Caroline mouths and Hayley rolls her eyes.

“Klaus…” she trails off. “Just… just let them go,” she sighs, resigned. [Keeping Elijah and his girlfriend hostage would not help anyone since Elijah still had his memories wiped]. “There’s no point to keeping them hostage,” she shakes her head in frustration.

“No can do, sweetheart,” he quips, and Hayley can practically see the smirk on his face. And then, he ends the call.

“Ugh,” Hayley growls in annoyance.

“What did he do now?” Caroline asks, a forced smile plastered on her face, her expressive blue eyes wide.

“What didn’t he do?” Hayley rolls her eyes. “He bit Antoinette and locked her and Elijah somewhere outside New Orleans. Clearly, he’s insane,” she explains hesitantly.

The blonde vampire shrugs and Hayley sags a little. [Part of her isn’t even sure she should’ve been so angry at Klaus, yet she couldn’t control the anger that had surged through her. She knew this was part of being a vampire, not being able to shift into a werewolf and run through the woods to take out her anger, not being in tune with her emotions, not feeling like herself].

“Well, that’s Klaus for you,” Caroline says with a sigh. “He’s vengeful. Grieving for the brother who was always there for him and now isn’t. But, I don’t think he’ll let Antoinette die. I don’t know why, but I don’t think he will,” Caroline’s lips curl into a slight smile. Hayley steps towards the blonde, and the two of them begin walking out.

“Thanks, Care. You’re probably right, I honestly can hardly keep my own emotions in check so who am I to judge Klaus, but you know…” There’s a pregnant pause, and Hayley bites her lower lip, her mind going back to what Marcel had told her.

“What is it, Hayley?” Caroline prods as they stop in front of the school and Hayley sighs. [She can’t hide information from Caroline and she can’t avoid Caroline Forbes forever, so resigned, she shrugs].

“Elijah asked Klaus to make a deal. Klaus gives Antoinette his blood and Vincent and Marcel do the spell again so Elijah can get his memories back and come back…” she finally says, trailing off. _Come back to us, _goes unsaid.

“Oh,” Caroline glances over at her. “And, Klaus didn’t accept the deal?” Hayley shakes her head in response, her teeth grazing her lip. “I’m guessing you were supposed to talk him into it?” the blonde questions.

“I just… I don’t know how I feel about the possibility of Elijah being back. Knowing who I am. And, part of me also knows that if he ever comes back and remembers what has happened it’s going to- he’s never going to forgive himself and I don’t… I don’t want him to go through it. And, there’s also the fact that I’m with Declan and everything would just be so complicated…” she hesitates, glances over to Caroline before continuing, “it’s selfish, I know.”

“It’s not selfish. It’s the opposite of selfish. Do you… do you still love him?” she wonders, though the answer is obvious.

“Of course I do. I don’t think I could ever stop, but it just can’t be,” she lets out a soft sigh.

“I know what that feels like, Hayley, trust me I do. I hope you’ll figure it out,” Caroline tells her and they exchange a look, both of them knowing who Caroline was referring to.

“Anyways, thanks for taking Hope. There’s lots of stuff I gotta figure out back in New Orleans, including myself, so…” she trails off, smiling at Caroline.

“Of course, our doors are always open for her. Um, if you ever need help with the vampire emotions and everything else, let me know, okay?” The sun is blistering above them, and Hayley fingers her daylight ring subconsciously before nodding at the blonde. “And, if you need help with anything else non-vampire related, let me know, Hayley,” Caroline then pulls her into a hug, and Hayley hugs her back. [Fifteen years ago, Hayley Marshall would not have imagined hugging Caroline Forbes, and yet now, she’s grateful for the blonde].

“Of course, thanks, Care,” she says softly, patting Caroline’s back gently. “Anyways, I should get going. Thanks again, Care!” she says as she hops into her truck. “Bye!”

“Bye, Hayley! And, if you need me to knock some sense into Klaus, let me know!” Hayley chuckles.

As she starts driving, she dials Klaus’ number again.

“Little Wolf, twice in one day, that’s a record!” he greets her, probably smirking.

“Don’t be an asshole,” Hayley snaps with an eye roll. “Marcel told me about the deal, Klaus,” she says, cutting right to the chase.

“Oh. Did he now?” Klaus retorts sarcastically. “Did he also tell you I refused?” There’s a pregnant pause as Hayley decides what to say.

“Klaus, please, I want you to take it,” she finally says. “I know you’re mad at him, I know you feel betrayed, but I also know you miss your brother-”

“My brother is gone!” he cuts her off, and Hayley lets out an annoyed sigh.

“Oh, come on, Klaus! Why is it that every time you do something horrible he forgives you, but this one time-”

“It’s not about me forgiving him. I’m not doing it, Hayley!” Klaus snaps angrily before the line goes dead.

“Asshole!” she growls, annoyed, before tossing the phone onto the backseat.

* * *

New Orleans is its typical, bustling self when she enters the city, and it doesn’t take long to reach the compound. The sun was already dipping behind the horizon, but the daylight still lingered in the air as though accidentally left behind and Hayley watched, mesmerized as she made her way into the quiet compound. She expects Klaus or even Freya to be there, but the compound is empty, so she rushes to her room only to find Declan standing there, the only light coming from a few candles.

“Declan?” she asks, sounding surprised. 

“Hey,” he greets her, flashing her a wide smile.

“What are you doing here? I thought you were still in Dublin visiting your family?” she asks, stepping closer to him. [Truthfully, Hayley hadn’t exactly been ready to be around her human boyfriend with the restraint of a baby vamp, but now she couldn’t send him away, and deep down she’d missed him].

“I missed you, I decided to cut my vacation short,” he shrugs. “What? Haven’t you missed me?”

Hayley laughs and rushes at him, at a human pace, crashing into his arms and pressing her lips to his. Declan responds immediately, his scruff scratching the skin on her chin, his hands drifting to her hips as she lifts her legs up and wraps them around his waist. She kisses him passionately, her teeth nipping and biting and sucking his lower lip as her fingers grip his short, brown hair. They break apart slightly, and Declan pulls off the jacket and blouse she’d been wearing as Hayley tears off his henley before he pushes her onto the bed, their lips still locked with each other, and Hayley lets out a soft moan as Declan squeezes her ass gently. Reluctantly, they break apart the kiss, their foreheads still resting against each other before Declan peels off her jeans. The rest of their clothes fly to the floor, their fingers are everywhere, tugging and pulling and caressing as ever so gently, and Declan pushes her onto the bed, his hands pinning her hands. As she hooks her leg around his thigh, Declan thrusts into her and Hayley lets out a load moan, her fingers tugging his hair tightly as he presses her into the bed, his hands firm on the back of her neck as he starts picking up rhythm. And then, their lips are on each other yet again, and Hayley loses herself in the kiss, in the feel of him inside her, warm, and human, and innocent, but her mind is miles away outside New Orleans on a certain Original vampire.

It’s raining, not a gentle pitter patter, but a storm, and she can hear the wind, the thunder, the screams of terrified people and Hayley wonders if by some miracle Mikaelson’s are in New Orleans. Hope is at school, but Hayley supposes Klaus could’ve come back and Rebekah was with him, or… or Elijah. She tries not to entertain the thought.

It’s later, after the heady lust had worn off and they’re lying in each other’s arms, her nose brushing against his collarbone, inhaling his sweet scent. [She’d slipped him vervain every once in a while, but she’s pretty sure that with him in Ireland, the vervain had left his system. Still, she’d fed on the way]. Declan’s arm is draped over her waist, his fingers gently caressing her side as she rests her head on his chest. She winces when his finger grazes the scar on her upper shoulder, where her crescent birth sign had once been, but now it was just a gnarly scar. [Hayley didn’t consider herself a particularly vain person, but truth be told the scar did bother her. Mostly, it was that it was a permanent reminder of losing a side of herself, who she was. And, that hurt].

“Sorry,” Declan mutters softly. When his human eyes see the scar though, Hayley can hear his heartbeat quicken. “What… what happened, Hayley? Who did this to you?”

“I don’t wanna talk about it,” she brushes it off.

Silence settles between them and Hayley traces circles on his waist as he continues to caress her lower back, his fingers rubbing circles on her hips.

“Hayley?” he mumbles softly in her ear.

“Huh?”

There’s a long stretch of silence, and Hayley can hear his heartbeat quicken with apprehension, as does hers, and she lifts her head slightly to meet his gaze.

“What is it?” she asks softly.

“Will you marry me?” he blurts and Hayley can’t help but sit up, bewildered.

“Wh- what?”

“I, uh, I got my grandmother’s wedding ring,” he says, shifting slightly to reach into his jeans pocket, and grabs a small, square-shaped velvet box. Covering herself with the sheet, Hayley sits up, her expression still one of pure shock as Declan opens the box to reveal a delicate, vintage ring with a small diamond at its center.

“Declan…” Hayley gasps.

“I love you, Hayley. You’re smart, kind, beautiful, strong, brave and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?” Hayley can’t help but stare, still trying to overcome her shock. Silence settles between them as Declan watches her, waiting for her answer, while Hayley tries to sort through her scrambled thoughts.

“Say something, please,” Declan says gently, inching closer to her.

“Declan… I, uh, I- this is beautiful-” she starts to say, but is cut off by her phone ringing. She glances sadly at him before grabbing her phone. It’s Caroline.

“Caroline?” she answers, her breath hitching, her mind racing.

“Hayley, you gotta go find Hope!” Caroline shrieks on the other end of the line. “She vanished from school and went to do a spell to reunite the family. Josie told me. She’s taking the power back; you have to get to her!”

“What? Caroline, slow- slow down! Caroline?” she snaps into the receiver, mouthing ‘Hope’ to Declan before scrambling to pull on her clothes. She rushes down the stairs, leaving Declan behind.

“The Church- I don’t know what church though, you have to go there and stop her or help her, I don’t know!” Caroline yells just as the rain starts. It dawns on Hayley that since all the Mikaelsons are in New Orleans, the biblical weather that precedes the death of all firstborns are currently occurring. It doesn’t take long for Hayley to figure out what church Caroline was talking about – St. Anne’s – and before long, she’d burst into the church only to find the bodies of the four Mikaelsons lying in a diagram while Hope was chanting and Marcel was also lying by the stairs.

“Hope Andrea Mikaelson, what the hell do you think you’re doing?” she screams as she steps into the room, ready to throw herself in front of the two witches to stop the spell, but no sooner do the words leave her mouth, she finds her neck snapped, and everything goes black.

* * *

Barely seconds later, Hayley opens her eyes to find herself in the compound that is being ravaged by the storm. It seems the conditions had worsened, and Hayley finds herself covered in blood.

“The hell?” she yells.

“Ow, Marshall, get off of me,” she hears a groan from underneath her, and looks down to realize it’s Marcel.

“Sorry,” she mutters, standing up before offering her hand to the vampire.

“Thanks.”

“What the hell?” she voices as she looks around the ravaged compound and the Mikaelson siblings assembled in front of her.

“Hello, Little Wolf. Welcome to the party,” Klaus says, amused. Rebekah scoffs, though Hayley knows the blonde is actually happy to be reunited with most of her siblings.

“What the hell happened?” Hayley asks, confused.

“Your daughter happened, that’s what!” Marcel exclaims. “I found her at St. Anne’s ready to perform the spell. I tried to stop her but she just sent me here,” he explains with a shrug.

“Caroline called. Said Hope was trying to do something and I should stop her. Clearly, that went well,” she rolls her eyes.

“Why am I not surprised?” Klaus quips and Hayley glares at him.

“Like you’d be any better,” she rolls her eyes. “So, how do we get out of here?”

“We need to find these keys that are hidden somewhere meaningful,” Rebekah explains. “Told you that child was the spawn of Satan,” she adds sarcastically, though nobody takes it seriously, least of all Hayley.

“If Satan was Klaus, then you’re right,” she retorts, smirking.

“Of course, some of us who don’t remember the past… oh a thousand years… have a more difficult time with the task at hand,” a voice informs dully, and Hayley freezes at the sound of the voice. [Obviously, she’d seen his body at St. Anne’s but somehow hearing his voice is different].

“Elijah…” she says softly, her breath hitching as she turns around to face him.

“Andrea,” he replies coolly. “Or, should I say Hayley?” he quips cynically.

“Elijah, I… I can explain-” she starts, but he cuts her off.

“No need. Now that you’re here, let’s get on with finding those keys so I can return to the woman I love,” he says, his tone final. And with that, Elijah stabs her in the heart yet again before he turns around and walks off upstairs.

“Great,” she mutters dryly. “So, Marcel and I can’t leave until you all find those keys? Just fantastic.”

She follows after Rebekah and Freya to Hope’s room – Rebekah’s old room – and she smiles fondly as she looks around.

“Maybe she hid yours here, Rebekah,” Freya suggests. “This used to be your room. Now, it’s Hope’s.”

“Now, where would a teenager hide something?” Hayley muses, walking over to the bookshelf in an attempt to search for the key.

“How are you, Hayley?” Rebekah asks gently, concern clear in her voice.

“I’m fine, Rebekah,” she brushes it off.

“Hayley,” Rebekah prods. “Hayley, how are you holding up?” the blonde asks and Hayley shakes her head.

“What part?” she snaps with an eye roll, ignoring her question.

“How are you adjusting?” Rebekah asks instead, ignoring Hayley’s retort. Hayley turns to face Rebekah, growling under her breath.

“I was werewolf, then a hybrid. Now, I’m a vampire. I’m adjusting just fine, thanks,” she shrugs, plastering on a fake smile that would make Caroline Forbes proud.

“I see,” Rebekah mutters, deciding to drop the subject. “How’s that chef of yours?” she asks instead, and Hayley freezes momentarily. “What? What did he do?”

“He proposed,” Hayley says finally, peering over at the blonde. Freya, too, turns to face them.

“What?” the Mikaelson sisters ask in unison.

“Yeah, he, uh, he proposed,” she admits.

“And, what did you say?”

“I, uh, I left?” Hayley knows it sounds more like a question, and Freya rolls her eyes, glancing over at her sister.

“You left? Declan? Bloody hell, Hayley, here I thought you knew better…”

“Oh, come on, Rebekah! You left Marcel at City Hall!” she exclaims, rolling her eyes. “Caroline called me before I could answer and I had to run off to St. Anne’s,” she explains.

“So?” Rebekah prods.

“So, I don’t know. What is it Rebekah?”

“What are you going to say? When we get back?”

“Honestly? I don’t know,” she sighs.

Rebekah and Freya returned to rummaging through the room, so Hayley excuses herself and finds herself in the doorway of her own room, the room she’d once shared with Elijah, but occupies by herself now. The room was much the same and she sighed as she sat down on the bed, running her hands over the soft mattress.

“Kol said I should check out this room,” she hears a voice say, a voice she would know anywhere, and she turns to find Elijah standing in the doorway. There’s a pregnant pause as Hayley considers telling him the truth.

“This used to be our room,” she finally admits and she can see a flicker of emotion in Elijah’s brown eyes, her own mind going back to all the moments they’d shared in this room. Their first kiss. Their goodbye before her wedding. The second night they’d spent together, after Elijah had killed Marcel. “Well, technically mine, but after we got together…” she trails off. “Our first kiss was by this window,” she tells him, gesturing to the window in front of her. “Our goodbye before I got married was in this room. You almost told me you loved me then, but I didn’t let you. I was scared of what it would do to me.”

Elijah opens his mouth to answer but is interrupted by a commotion and Hayley rushes out, Elijah hot on her heels. She finds Klaus and Freya in the middle of an argument, and it doesn’t take long for Hayley to realize that Freya had helped Hope and Hayley feels betrayal hit her like a thousand bricks. [It’s clear in the defeated expression on Freya’s face and the pure anger and sadness on Klaus’].

“What the hell, Freya! How could you?” she snaps.

“I had to. She begged me. I had to help her,” Freya tells them, sorrow clear in her blue eyes before vanishing.

“Bloody hell!” Klaus curses and Hayley sighs.

They spread around the compound again, and this time Hayley follows after Klaus, deciding to avoid Marcel and Rebekah who seem to be having another one of their so-called “moments”.

“So, have you told him?” Klaus asks baldly. [Hayley supposes the Original hybrid is trying to distract himself with talks of her love life, but it’s not helping her].

“About?”

“The handsome human lad on your arm at Caroline’s get-together for starters?” Klaus suggests, his voice thickly accented, looking at her with that typical Klaus Mikaelson smirk as he starts flicking through a bunch of unopened letters that Hayley knows are the ones she’d sent him.

“I’m a bit offended you didn’t read those,” she tells him in a snarky tone. For a second, Klaus stares at her, emotion clear in his blue eyes.

“I couldn’t bring myself to. Forgive me, Little Wolf,” he says softly. “So, Declan, isn’t it?” he changes the subject smoothly.

Hayley doesn’t answer. “I see. Love is complicated, isn’t it, Little Wolf?” he muses and Hayley’s gaze flickers briefly to him.

She’s about to start telling him about the proposal when Marcel bursts into the room and Hayley sighs heavily.

“He’s lying!” the Enhanced vampire announces both triumphant and indignant and both of them turn to face him.

“Huh?” she quips, turning to face him. There’s something in Marcel’s eyes, but Hayley doesn’t want to let herself go there.

“You’re going to have to be more specific than that, mate,” Klaus quips, giving Marcel a long look.

“Elijah. He just called me ‘Marcellus.’ Things are creeping in, only nothing of substance, nothing that hurts,” Marcel explains, and Hayley’s breath hitches in her throat as she realizes what his words mean. “If Elijah doesn’t know who he is, it’s not because of magic. It’s because he doesn’t want to remember,” Marcel finishes.

“The Red Door,” she gasps as the severity of the situation becomes clear to her and her heart aches for Elijah. “It almost killed him before. He won’t make it,” she states sadly, shaking her head.

A soft clink alerts them to the floor in front of Klaus, and the hybrid bends and picks up a key.

“Well, now he’s gonna have to if he wants to save his girlfriend’s life,” Klaus announces, holding the key between his fingers, a scowl plastered to his face.

Marcel disappears then, no doubt going to look for Elijah’s key, and Hayley turns to glare at Klaus.

“How long are you going to punish him?” she snaps, crossing her arms. “You of all people… he always forgave you, for all the horrible things-”

“Spare me the analogy, Hayley! You of all people don’t get to defend him!” And with that, Klaus was gone, no doubt going after Elijah. With a dramatic sigh and an eye roll, Hayley takes off after him, and finds him stalking after Elijah through the courtyard of the compound while Rebekah looks between the two brothers, confused.

“Klaus, don’t!” she calls out to him, glancing over to Rebekah, shaking her head at the blonde.

“Didn’t I tell you to leave it?” he snaps, growling. Hayley vamp-speeds over to him, but Klaus just catches her arm forcefully.

“Since when do I listen to you?” she mutters quietly. “And, I told you _not_to do this!” she adds more loudly.

“Okay, Nik, Hayley, what’s going on?” Rebekah demands as she steps between them, pulling Hayley out of Klaus’ grasp. Hayley growls in response, though her eyes drift over to Elijah, who won’t even meet her gaze.

“Our brother’s been deliberately repressing his memories to keep us trapped here!” Klaus snaps angrily glaring daggers at Elijah, who’s halfway upstairs.

_This is gonna get ugly, _Hayley muses.

Elijah freezes and turns to face them, “I… am… not… your brother!” he yells, his voice filled with conviction, and Hayley almost believes him. Almost. [But, she knows him better, and Klaus, Rebekah and Kol know him even better. After all, there was no Mikaelson for whom the words ‘always and forever’ meant more than for Elijah]. “And, I didn’t ask for any of this,” he adds as he steps off the last step.

“You most certainly did!” It’s Rebekah’s turn to be angry, and if Hayley’s being honest with herself, she gets it. “It’s not like you held a family vote before you decided to erase all of us!”

“You ever consider the possibility that you don’t even want me back? I mean, it seems to me that I make you all incredibly miserable!” he snaps.

“We all make each other miserable!” Kol, who’d finally decided to involve himself, says as he stands up.

“But through it all, we are family, and we made a vow. Always and forever!” Rebekah was looking straight at Elijah, but the words didn’t seem to affect him. Hayley noticed that the conditions were escalating and she guessed that Hope was getting close to finishing the spell.

“She’s right, Elijah,” Hayley finally says. “Look, this family has been through so much, but we never gave up on each other. Never. Through crazy witches and Harvests and sire lines and all the crap that comes with having a thousand years’ worth of enemies. And, you were always the one who was devoted to ‘always and forever’. You never gave up. And, then you did,” she finishes, her own voice thick with emotion, her eyes prickling with tears. [She hadn’t exactly meant to do it, to let her feelings for him in, but she couldn’t keep them at bay so easily now].

“I made another vow!” he snapped and Hayley winced. “And, the woman I pledged my life to is out there… and, she is dying,” he finally said and Hayley flinched. She felt like she might cry, or be sick, or both. “So if you believe in any way that I am your family, then… I am begging you- I am begging you, help me,” he finished, pleading, his tone emotional. Hayley met his gaze, and she saw her answer in his eyes, the love he held for Antoinette so clear in his brown eyes. And, her own heart broke. So, she vamp-sped upstairs, leaving the other Mikaelson’s with Elijah.

She entered her room, and found herself standing in front of her dresser, rummaging through the drawers, searching for the key as her mind drifted to all the moments she and Elijah had once shared. Every word. Every touch. Every kiss.

She’s halfway to giving up when she hears the shouting, and she lets herself focus on what is happening downstairs.

“-I mean did I? Did I really? Are you sure my feelings weren’t simply a product of my ridiculous crusade to try and save you? Any excuse to maintain that pathetic entanglement of ‘always and forever’!” he snapped and Hayley felt her heart break into a million little pieces. She couldn’t hear it anymore, couldn’t hear him say it, so she tuned out the Mikaelsons and refocused on her search.

“Hope’s taking the power from us!” she hears Rebekah shout more loudly over the others and she notes that it just kept getting worse, so she decides to vamp-speed over to them. _Besides,_she thinks, _looking for Elijah’s key is stupid_.

“There’s no stopping it! It’s too late!” Kol yells when Hayley reaches the courtyard, finding all four Mikaelson siblings tethered to each other by blue light and she stops in her tracks.

“Hope…” Her daughter’s name falls silently from her lips as Hayley watches, horrified and relieved at the same time. The blue tethers join in a giant ball that probably gets absorbed into Hope, Hayley would yell about it later, and then the Mikaelson siblings collapse with a thud. Hayley is at their side in seconds, crouching beside Klaus as the Mikaelson siblings sit up while rain begins pouring down.

“Rebekah,” Marcel says softly, a hint of worry in his voice, as he approaches them. “Elijah’s key. I got it,” he says, holding the small key.

“How did you find it?” Hayley asks, shocked.

“Well, Kol’s key was in As You Like It. Act one, scene three. ‘Now go we in content to liberty, not banishment’. Hope knows you can’t stay. She’s setting you free. Rebekah, she put yours on the necklace you gave her, hidden somewhere safe and secret,” he explains and Hayley notices Rebekah nod in realization.

“Just like I hid her when she was a baby,” the blonde mutters softly.

“Klaus found his in letters Hayley wrote to him about Hope,” Marcel continued.

“Get on with it,” Klaus said impatiently.

“Hope once told me that one of her earliest memories of Elijah was seeing Hayley sit in front of his coffin and cry when they were asleep. For Hope, she always saw Elijah as an extension of Hayley, she always connected them. So, of course, she put his there,” Marcel announces proudly and Hayley can feel Elijah’s gaze on her. “Your key was in a coffin, in the dungeon,” he elaborates.

“Okay, that’s it. Now that we have all the keys can we go get out of here?” she demands harshly, standing up and extending her hand to Klaus, who takes it gratefully. The Mikaelson siblings walked to the door, and one by one they put the keys in before the door finally opened to reveal a long white corridor with a red door at the end. “Shit,” she curses quietly. [The last time she’d been here- well Hayley didn’t want to think of the last time she’d been in Elijah’s mind. She couldn’t, it was far too painful, brought far too many bad memories].

“Oh bloody hell,” she hears Kol say and Hayley rolls her eyes. “Now, we’re in Elijah’s mental maze,” the youngest Original groans. “Of all the Hells I’ve had to endure…”

“The door,” she hears Elijah mutters softly, apprehension clear in his voice. “What is this? Hope’s revenge? Trap me here until I’ve claimed all my memories and can be held accountable for my actions?” he demands as Marcel turns to leave. Hayley should too, she should turn around and leave, but she can’t help it.

“C’mon, Marshall,” the vampire says softly, grabbing her arm. “Let’s go.”

“Maybe-” she starts to say, but he cuts her off.

“He’ll need you later,” Marcel whispers softly before shoving Hayley thorugh one of the doors and everything goes black.

She opens her eyes seconds later, inhaling sharply with a gasp as she sits up.

“Hope?” she demands in a harsh whisper, worry and anger directed at her daughter in equal force.

“Freya’s with her,” Marcel tells her, helping her stand up. Seconds later, Kol wakes up as well, followed by Rebekah.

“It’s going to be okay,” the blonde tells her quietly as the four of them stand in front of Klaus and Elijah’s bodies. And then, there’s another gasp and Hayley sees Klaus sit up.

“Elijah?” she asks softly, stepping closer to him and seeing him blinking rapidly. “His memories are coming back,” she says softly as his breathing starts becoming more rapid, coming out in soft gasps as tears start streaming down her face. Slowly he sits up, though that makes it evident that his whole body is shaking. She feels a hand on her arm, stopping her from moving any closer and looks to the side to find it’s Klaus. It was a horrifying sight, seeing the stoic and noble Elijah Mikaelson breaking to pieces as he remembered. He stood, his cheeks tearstained as he faced them all. And then, he let out a quiet sob, followed by another, and another. And then, he started sobbing and groaning, hissing in pain as if the pain was physical, and all Hayley wanted to do was rush over to him, to hold him as he crouched in front of them. On her other side, Rebekah had put her hand to her mouth to stifle her gasp as tears streamed down her face and even Kol was crying. “Elijah…” she whispers softly as he continues to sob, his hands holding onto a pew as if it was his lifeline. She turns away, tears streaming down her own face and takes a few calming breaths before turning to watch him again.

“Hayley!” She hears Klaus say softly, but couldn’t take it anymore, and she rushed at him, falling to her knees beside him.

“Shh…” she says softly, moving her hand to his shoulder. The contact was enough for her to be pulled into his mind, watching his memories along with him, each memory appearing with an aching speed. 

“Hayley…” he sobs brokenly. And then, she wraps her arms aroud him, pulling him to her.

“Shh… I’m here, Elijah. I’m right here,” she whispers softly in his ear. “Just let it all out, Elijah, it’s okay… I’m right here,” she mutters as he continues sobbing. She can feel him cling to her, wrap his own arms around her, press himself to her as he continued to break down, his breathing coming in tortured gasps.

* * *

Later, much later, after Kol, and Rebekah, and Marcel had left, she untangles herself from Elijah’s arms. He’d long since calmed down, but she couldn’t quite let him go. Lifting her gaze, she meets Klaus’ and they exchange a quiet nod.

“We need to…” Elijah whispers quietly to her.

“Yes, we do. Later, okay?” she mutters gently in his ear. And then, she rushes out of St. Anne’s, the sight of Elijah breaking down not quite leaving her mind.


	3. Reunited

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hayley struggles with being a vampire, Hayley and Declan have a talk and Hayley and Elijah have a moment. Follows episode 5x09

Hope was already asleep by the time Hayley arrives at the compound, so the now-vampire takes a quick peek at her sleeping daughter.

“Hayley?” she hears Freya speak behind her, hesitant and reserved. Hayley shakes her head, swiping her hands beneath her eyes, wiping away the few stray tears that had fallen down her cheeks. [Ever since she’d left St. Anne’s, her tear ducts had not ceased to leak as the memory of Elijah breaking down in front of her and his siblings refused to leave her mind].

“Not now, Freya…” she whispers softly, her voice unusually weary. “I can’t…”

“I am so sorry, Hayley. But, you have to understand… I did this for her, for Hope. Listen, I lost a child, you know that, and with Hope- I would never hurt Hope… I love Hope, you know that,” Freya says softly, her own voice thick with emotion and Hayley can hear her sniffle. “I have taken care of Hope all these years with you and this one time she begged me- she begged me to help get her family back together and take back the power. I knew she was gonna do it without me, so I agreed. You know how potent the Hollow’s magic is, you of all people… one more meeting between Klaus and Hope or Klaus and Elijah and that would have been it…” she trails off. Finally, Hayley forces herself to turn around to face Freya, who has tears in her eyes.

“I understand,” she says softly. “I know how much you care for Hope… I’m just- I’m upset and an emotional mess and I really need a drink,” she tells her, shaking her head.

“Of course. Shall we?” Freya suggests and Hayley nods faintly. “Rousseau’s?”

“Freya, you should stay here. Klaus and Elijah, Kol and Rebekah… they’re all coming back soon, so you should stay,” Hayley tells her and she can see Freya’s eyes fill with hope.

“All of them?” the eldest Mikaelson sister asks quietly, trying not to show her happiness, but Hayley can see it.

“Yeah,” she says softly, her lips curving into a small smile. “All of them.”

“So, why are you leaving? Shouldn’t you and Elijah be having some reunion or something?” Freya asks gently and Hayley sighs heavily. “Or is Declan still…?”

“Oh my God. Declan. Crap, I haven’t spoken to him since I ran away after he proposed… it’s over anyways, but I should tell him that to his face,” she looks down guiltily. “And, I need to- I need to think before I speak to Elijah,” she adds before walking back into Hope’s room. Hope looks peaceful and Hayley runs her thumb along her daughter’s face before pressing a kiss to her daughter’s forehead. “See you later?” she asks once she walks out of the room, past Freya, who follows her downstairs.

“Yeah, I’ll see you later,” Freya says as Hayley vamp-speeds out of the compound, her phone already going to her ear.

“Hayley?” Caroline’s voice is groggy as she answers on the other end.

“Hey, Care. How fast can you get to New Orleans? I need to drink.”

“Give me a few minutes,” Caroline answers.

“Minutes? You in New Orleans?” she wonders, confused.

“Yup. Thought I might be needed so I left after I called you,” Caroline explains. “Unfortunately, I arrived when the party was over.”

“Great. I’ll see you soon,” she tells the other woman. She hangs up as she reaches Rousseau’s and wishes she’d decided on another bar because she sees Declan managing the bar. Upon closer look, the bar reeks of vampire and Hayley soon realizes the bar is filled with Greta’s Nazi vampire minions. “Shit,” she curses under her breath before turning around, hoping Declan doesn’t notice her.

The storm had settled, but Rousseau’s was no longer an option, so Hayley pulls out her phone to text Caroline to change their plans. As soon as Caroline agrees, Hayley starts making her way down the street.

The other bar was in a more hidden side of New Orleans, but Hayley didn’t really care. As long as there was booze, she’d go anywhere.

Caroline entered minutes after Hayley did, hopping on a barstool beside the former hybrid.

“Hey,” the blonde said softly.

“Hey,” Hayley answered before dipping her head back and downing the glass of bourbon

“Two tequila shots! Hayley, what are we drinking to?” The blonde sounds oddly perky and Hayley rolls her eyes before downing the shot that is slid across the bar to her.

“The love of my life got his memories back, but I’m not sure about where we stand given that I practically called him a monster and told him not to touch me before he wiped away said memories. He also broke down when he did remember and I’m beyond worried about his state of mind. So, lots to drink to, Care,” she announces, faux-cheerfully. She glances at the bartender’s name tag that reads Mike, and motions for him. “Mike, keep ‘em coming,” she tells him, looking carefully in his eyes. “Oh, and let’s not forget I’m a vampire nowadays, which is just great,” she rolls her eyes before downing the shot Mike had slid across the bar.

“I see,” Caroline muses before downing a shot of her own. “Do you feel bad about Declan?”

“Not really. A little, maybe. I mean, he was nice and everything, but he’s human…” she trails off and motions for Josh.

“Right. So, just forget about him, Hayley. It doesn’t matter anymore,” the blonde tells her. “If you were human, you and Declan probably would’ve worked. Or, if Elijah didn’t come back. But, he did, and Declan may be hot, an amazing chef, but he’s not your soulmate,” Caroline tells her and Hayley raises an eyebrow in disbelief. “Oh, come on, Hayley! Look, I’ve known you for about fifteen years now, so I say this with complete confidence. You and Elijah Mikaelson are endgame,” Caroline tells her seriously before downing another shot of tequila. [If anyone had asked her fifteen years ago if she’d consider dirnking tequila with Caroline Forbes the definition of a good time while discussing their love lives, Hayley would have slapped them and laughed. But, seven years ago when Hope started at the Salvatore School, Caroline had somehow burst down the protective walls around Hayley and become one of her closest friends].

“Didn’t you say that about Elena and Stefan?” Hayley retorts sarcastically.

“I did. I was wrong about that. But, I’m right about this. I also said I’d marry Stefan and I was right about that, too. Look, I’ve gotten to know you _well_for the past seven years. I know you may have pretended Elijah’s absence and self-induced amnesia didn’t bother you, but they did. And, you told me after you came back from France – which you flew halfway across the world and pretended to be Andrea Labonair to make sure he was okay, for God’s sakes – that you guys had an immediate connection. That means you’re soulmates. His mind may not have recognized you, but his soul did. And, now he’s back, so what are you waiting for, Marshall?” The blonde vampire looked at her, her blue eyes wide with curiosity as Hayley sipped her drink slowly. [Caroline’s words were true. Hayley had felt the connection with Elijah herself, like they hadn’t been apart at all, like they’d been together that whole time. If Hope had been older, or if Hayley couldn’t use the other excuses she had, she’d have stayed in Mannosque and pretended to be Andrea Labonair and fallen for Elijah Mikaelson all over again. Because she would, she was sure of it. In any lifetime, no matter what, Hayley Marshall would fall for Elijah Mikaelson].

“When did you become so wise, Caroline Forbes?” she asks rhetorically, a grin tugging at the corners of her lips.

“I had two kids and lost an epic love,” she explained with a coy smile. “But, this isn’t about me, Hayley. This is about you.”

“I’m not so sure about it, Care,” Hayley glanced at the blonde, letting her uncertainty and vulnerability show. “Even if I do want to be with him – which, don’t get me wrong, I do – I’m not sure he’s ready to be with me,” she admits, causing Caroline to lean forward, an eyebrow raised, a question on the tip of her tongue but Hayley beats her to it. “Back before the whole memories thing, when Elijah was trapped in Freya’s pendant and I went to find him-” she cuts herself off, her voice thick with emotion as Caroline lays a gentle hand on her shoulder in comfort whilst motioning for two more drinks. “I went to find him, and I didn’t find him in a good place. In a good memory. I found him in his own personal hell, where most of his bad memories reside… all the bad things he’s done, the people he’s killed, and he wasn’t- he wasn’t himself, Care,” she explains, choking up at the mere mention. [This she’d never told Caroline, never told anyone beside Klaus, Rebekah and Freya].

“What happened, Hayley?” Caroline prods gently, and Hayley takes another sip of her drink, for courage.

“He attacked me, Caroline. He- he wasn’t himself and he attacked me, but Hope managed to save me. She called out for me and it saved him. She was seven and she… she did something I couldn’t. She saved both of us…” she trails off and sighs. “Seems she’s done it again-”

“Your daughter is kind of a superhero,” Caroline smirks and raises her eyebrow pointedly. “What happened with Elijah?”

“I basically shunned him. Pretty much called him a monster- I told him ‘don’t touch me’, Caroline. You should’ve seen- God, the self-hate in his eyes, and I just… I just told him not to touch me. I hurt him so much, Caroline, you have no idea, and I know how much he- when his memories came back,” she pauses, downs her drink, and continues, “when his memories came back, he completely broke down. I know how much he blames himself and I… I hurt him more than anyone ever could…” she trails off and bows her head, sniffling slightly. “I know him, Caroline, better than anyone else I know Elijah. And, I know that he might never forgive himself and allow himself to be happy. Be with me,” she finishes, bowing her head, her forehead connecting with the hardwood table.

“Oh, Hayley,” the blonde says gently, wrapping her arm around her shoulder. “Oh, Hayley, I’m so sorry,” she says quietly. Hayley leans into Caroline for support and faintly hears the blonde order two more shots which they both down quickly. “You know,” Caroline starts to say, her voice gentle, “I know how Elijah feels. And, how you feel. And, I know that eventually it will be okay.” Hayley lifts her head to glance over at Caroline, who sounds optimistic as always.

“Thanks, Care. Anyways, enough about my depressing love life. How was Paris?” she asks coyly, taking a long sip of her drink. Caroline rolls her eyes. “Oh, come on, you didn’t go to Paris to save Klaus from himself and just went back to Mystic Falls,” Hayley quips incredulously.

“I never said I didn’t do anything,” the blonde quips with a smirk. “But, nothing really happened. Besides, I don’t… I don’t know if I’m ready to be with Klaus. Because there’s never going to be anyone else if I let myself be with him and I don’t know if I’m ready for forever. Not after what happened with Stefan. I thought I’d have… I thought I’d have a long while with him and then he died.” For the first time, the blonde lets the sadness she always keeps at bay flood into her voice and Hayley reaches to pat her back gently. “I’ll always be there for him though, especially when he goes on one of his killing sprees in the name of always and forever,” the blonde meets Hayley’s gaze, a hint of amusement in her blue eyes, her lips curled into a small smile.

They linger at the bar for a while longer, their conversation taking on a lighter note, downing tequila shots as they exchange stories of raising their daughters, Tyler Lockwood, Klaus Mikaelson and Mystic Falls.

* * *

When they finally return to the compound, it’s quiet. Any sort of Mikaelson reunion was long over, and Hayley strained her ear to hear Hope’s steady breathing. Relieved her daughter was asleep, Hayley then scanned her surroundings in an attempt to figure out where the others were. The only noise was coming from upstairs, and upon closer inspection she notices it’s coming from the study. Elijah’s study.

“Well, well, ladies,” Klaus says softly, and the two vampire look up to find the Original hybrid looking down at them, smirking mischievously.

“Klaus,” Caroline breathed beside her and Klaus tore his gaze away from her, meeting that of the blonde vampire.

“Hello, love,” he greets her with a smirk. “Care to explain to me as to where you were, Little Wolf?” This time he’s looking straight at her and Hayley can see a barely concealed anger in his eyes. [Normally she’d deal with whatever Klaus-related problem head on, but tonight she’s so drained, so tired of it all]. “Or did you not want to-”

“Klaus!” Caroline snaps, shaking her head pointedly. “Enough.”

“I see how it is,” the hybrid drawls and Hayley rolls her eyes.

“Oh, piss off, Klaus,” she snaps, glaring at the father of her child. Klaus shrugs and turns back to the blonde vampire next to her.

“So, what exactly were you two doing?” he demands, raising an eyebrow, his lips curled into a smirk.

“Hayley and I were having some much-needed girl time,” Caroline answers with a shrug.

“I see,” Klaus nods, resigned. “I take it you’ll be staying the night, love?” Caroline nods faintly, so Klaus continues, “well, then, let me show you where you can stay,” he motions for her and within seconds Caroline is upstairs. Hayley rolls her eyes and makes her way upstairs herself, deciding to check up on Hope first, who is fast asleep, looking peaceful for the first time in a while.

When she turns around and exits Hope’s room, a figure in front of her makes her freeze, her breath hitching. There he was, perfectly tailored suit, immaculate white shirt, matching tie, well-styled hair, dark brown eyes that could see through her soul.

“You’re back,” she says, her lips curving into a smile, her words something of a déjà vu. Elijah smirks, one hand in his pocket.

“I’m back. Should I expect a slap?” he quips, his lips twitching slightly.

“Not this time,” she shakes her head, her heart hammering in her chest as Elijah’s lips twitch slightly, curling into a small smile.

And, even though Hayley wants to touch him, and she can see Elijah wants to close the gap between them as well, but he doesn’t. She smiles back at him, tucking one strand of her hair behind her ear as she steps closer him and Elijah shoves one hand in his pocket before walking over to the balcony, resting his other hand on the railing. [There’s so much she wants to say, needs to say, but she knows they can’t have the conversation right now. She’s not drunk, barely tipsy even, but the numerous tequila shots had taken some of the edge off and she doesn’t exactly trust herself not to say something she shouldn’t]. Instead, she walks over to him, putting enough distance between them though it feels like he’s right next to her, like she can feel his breath on her skin, hear his heart beating. There’s so much to say, but Hayley would much rather just stand beside him without talking. This is enough.

It’s Elijah who breaks the silence, and Hayley tilts her head to look at him, though he doesn’t turn to face her, his jaw set, his stance rigid.

“Hayley…” he pauses, inhaling sharply, his hand gripping the bannister tightly, before he turns to her, his eyes glassy with unshed tears “…thank you. For earlier.” His lips twitch slightly, curling into a half-smile as he gazes fondly into her eyes and Hayley smiles back, meeting his gaze steadily.

They stand in silence beside each other for a few seconds, still gazing out into the courtyard, relishing in each other’s presence. Briefly, Elijah turns to meet her gaze one last time before he finally turns around, returning to the study, and Hayley herself walks to her own bedroom.

* * *

The next morning finds Hayley having an awkward breakfast with the rest of the Mikaelsons minus Rebekah and Kol, with Klaus not taking his eyes off of Hope, as if he expects their daughter to explode. Elijah, on the other hand, is nowhere in sight, but Hayley isn’t really surprised, more worried.

They’d just listened to Klaus’ inspirational speech about them being a family once again and facing off their enemies together, and Hayley wonders briefly if she should be worried by Klaus’ strangely pleasant smile or relieved the hybrid was in such a good mood. [Well, the good mood wasn’t directed at his older sister, but Hayley chose to ignore that].

Caroline had left early that morning, had hugged Hayley tightly and suggested they meet in Mystic Falls for their next round of drinking, told Hope she was welcome any time to the school, and kissed Klaus Mikaelson on the cheek. And, Klaus had let her. Hayley’s eyes had widened, but she hadn’t said anything. [She had her own boy problems to deal with].

[Rebekah had gone overseas to tie some loose ends, and Hayley had wondered what poor, unfortunate soul the Original sister had chosen to use to get over Marcel, but she’d promised to come back. ‘Put the house in order, make sure the boys play nice,’ she’d called it. Kol, on the other hand, had promptly returned to Davina, though Hayley knew he would come back as well. Soon enough].

“Rebekah will come back soon, she’s just tying up some loose ends overseas,” Klaus tells Hope, and Hope’s face lights up. Freya winks at Hayley.

“That’d be nice. What about Kol?”

“Kol is probably glad to see the back of us,” Klaus smirks. “He’ll come back eventually, he always does. Or, when Davina starts missing that lad, Josh,” he rolls his eyes and Hope chuckles.

“It would be nice for them to come here, too,” the teenager grins, pleased.

“Can you pass the beignets?” Hope asks softly, turning to her other aunt, and Hayley glances over at Klaus while sipping her mimosa.

“Of course,” Freya says softly, passing Hope the platter of pastries.

They fall into pleasant conversation, Hope and Klaus discussing painting and making plans for their day together while Hayley and Freya discuss Hayley’s current predicament and the full moon coming that night.

“It won’t be forever, Hayley, you know that,” her best friend tells her softly, repeating her previous sentiments.

“I know, Freya. But, I can survive another month or so as a vampire. As long as Hope is okay, I’ll survive a century. Just make sure Hope will be okay, and I don’t care about anything else,” she whispers quietly.

Heavy steps interrupt their conversation, and Hayley looks up to find none other than Elijah Mikaelson stride in, looking like his usual self, wearing one of his many impeccable suits and matching tie, hair slicked back, heirloom daylight ring on, his face unreadable. For a brief moment, Hayley is a little taken aback by how handsome he looks, how well he pulls off that suit. [Of course, she knows the suit is Elijah’s armor, a part of the façade he puts on to hide the more primal parts of him, his less proper side, but Hayley has to admit he looks hot as hell in it].

“Good morning,” he says smoothly, his lips curling into a slight smile, his eyes flickering briefly to her before drifting around the room, making eye contact with his two siblings and niece.

“Welcome back, brother,” Freya says graciously, smiling at Elijah.

Klaus’ gaze connects with Elijah, except the Original hybrid is glaring at his brother beneath the welcoming façade whilst avoiding meeting his sister’s gaze. For her part, Freya pretends she doesn’t notice. Hayley tries not to let her own gaze linger over her ex’s handsome, well-dressed figure for too long, but fails. And, Hope bends a fork in half. Just by looking at it.

“Hope,” Elijah starts carefully, but is interrupted by the tribrid herself.

“Thanks for breakfast, guys, but I should go. I have homework to catch up on,” she says smoothly before swiftly standing up.

“Hope…” Hayley calls for her, and Hope stops. “Why don’t you stay? It’s been a while since we’ve had a proper family breakfast-” she tries gently, but Hope interrupts her.

“I’m good, mom. I’d rather not be subjected to you making puppy eyes at-”

“Hope!” Hayley cuts her daughter off. “Choose your words carefully,” she warns, looking seriously at her daughter, who just walks off.

For a second everything is silent before Klaus’ gaze drifts to Hope’s cutlery.

“That’s not normal,” he observes worriedly, his gaze on the fork.

“She’s a tribrid with teenage hormones, two part-wolf parents who passed down a terrible temper and the spirit of an ancient witch inside of her. She’s not normal, Klaus,” Hayley mutters angrily at the hybrid. Klaus just turns his smoldering gaze to glare at her her, but Hayley doesn’t even flinch.

“Perhaps I shouldn’t have come down here,” Elijah muses, his gaze forlorn. “This is too much for her, I should have been more careful.”

“It’s not your fault,” Hayley says gently, meeting his gaze for the first time, and she can see the emotion clear in his dark-brown eyes.

“Well, at least you can claim amnesia, brother,” Klaus quips. “Unlike our sister, who willingly abetted the child in-” Klaus is probably about to say something along the lines of ‘ruining her future’, so Hayley beats him to the punch.

“Klaus!” she snaps, and the hybrid freezes, turning his gaze to her. “Knock it off. Or, so help me God… Stop blaming Freya for fixing our problem and keeping you from flying off the goddamn handle,” she hisses, glaring at the father of her child. “Hope’s just dealing with a lot, and you’re not helping the situation! If you were so eager to be in her life and missed her so much, why don’t you take the day to spend with her?” she demands as she stands up.

“And where might you be going, Little Wolf?” the hybrid asks her, amused.

“None of your business,” she retorts before storming off angrily. Needing a drink stronger than a mimosa, Hayley finds herself walking the familiar path to Rousseau’s and finds Marcel and Josh there.

Not waiting for an invitation, Hayley twists the doorknob and walks in.

“We’re closed,” Josh says automatically, but Hayley ignores him.

“Ouch,” she quips. “Who the hell trashed this place?” she asks, stepping in. Both men turn to face her.

“Um, what part of ‘we’re closed’ told you to come in?” Marcel asks in annoyance.

“Woah! Don’t take your annoyance with Bekah out on me!” Hayley crosses her arms. “I came for a drink, but looks like it can wait,” she adds, gesturing around the bar. “So, what happened here?”

“Leave Rebekah out of this, Marshall!” Marcel snaps. Hayley raises an eyebrow and the other vampire sighs heavily. “Look, Hales, don’t take this the wrong way,” Marcel starts to say while Josh continues to clean up the empty bottles littered throughout the place, “but you should go.”

“Really, Marcel?” she rolls her eyes.

“Look, this is vampire business-”

“I am a vampire!” she cuts him off, flashing him her vampire face.

“I know,” Marcel sighs. “Look, this is vampire-only business. And, besides, I’m sure you should be helping Lisina with the pack. You are the alpha, aren’t you?” Marcel shrugs. Hayley stares at him in shock. _Does he really not know? _she wonders. 

“No I’m not!” she snaps and Marcel and Josh both look at her in shock. “I’m not the alpha anymore because I’m not a wolf anymore!”

“What?”

“Did Rebekah not tell you? Or Klaus?” she wonders, furrowing her eyebrow.

“Tell me what?”

“What happened with Greta…” she says carefully, hoping it might clue him in. 

“What did she do?”

“You really don’t know?” Hayley can’t help but stare at Marcel in awe.

“Oh, come on, Marshall! Just tell me!”

“Greta kidnapped me and stashed me in this farmhouse. Then, she had her son Roman bring Hope to the farmhouse and they told us that if we let a witch do a binding spell on us, they’d let us go. I agreed and the witch bound my wolf side, but Hope decided to help me escape before they could do the same to her. Except, Greta’s plan was never to let us go. She was gonna kill us. She would’ve succeeded if Caroline hadn’t shown up,” she explains. Josh just raises his eyebrows.

“Wow, when Klaus said Greta was a manipulative Nazi bitch who thinks hybrids and wolves are abominations he wasn’t, like, kidding,” the younger vampire remarks, his voice completely deadpan. Hayley just rolled her eyes.

“Hayley, I’m so sorry. But, don’t worry, we’re gonna make her pay for this,” Marcel says quickly, his eyes blazing.

“Appreciate it, Marcel, but Greta’s dead,” she quips.

“Her minions are not,” Marcel retorts before turning to Josh. “Looks like Emmett and his nightwalkers rode out the storm in your dime,” he tells the younger vampire who continues to clean up the empty bottles.

“Yeah,” Josh sighs. “Is it wrong that I want to boil everything in bleach?” he wonders, clearly frustrated. “Hey, tell me… what part of ‘I hate everything you stand for’ do you think gave them the ‘mi casa, su casa’ vibe?” he adds, turning briefly to Hayley and Marcel.

“Yeah, that’s the thing,” Marcel quips. “They don’t care what you think,” he tells him.

“Or, what anyone else thinks,” she adds, glancing over at Marcel. “So, how about we do something about it? I’m in the mood to kick some Nazi vampire purist ass,” she says, leaning against the bar.

“Good idea, Marshall. Why don’t we pay our new friends a little visit?” Marcel suggests.

This is what leads them to march into what was once Lucien’s penthouse that Marcel had later occupied, but now seemed to house Greta’s minions.

“Party’s over!” Hayley announces as they open the doors to a dark room lit only by interior lighting, coming face to face with Emmett and the other purist vampires. There was music playing, and the group seemed to be having a good time, but that was about to end.

“Emmett!” Marcel called out. “You and your crew are no longer welcome in New Orleans,” he states while Hayley glares at them.

Emmett scoffs, “hardly for you to decide. You walked away from this city,” he quips.

“Yeah, well, I didn’t,” Josh quips.

“Neither did I-” she adds sarcastically. Emmett just ignored her, and Hayley rolled her eyes. “And, neither of us will let you kick werewolves and witches out of the Quarter just cause it’s your territory, you purist asshole,” she growls at the other vampire.

“Werewolves and witches are my friends. And, I won’t let you banish my friends,” Josh adds as he walks over where the sound system was plugged in and unplugs it, cutting off the music.

“Banishment is your term,” Emmett retorts with an eye roll. “Mine is ‘law and order’,” he says and Hayley scoffs. “Peace and harmony among the species because everyone stays where they belong,” he smirks and Hayley can feel her blood boil, but Marcel’s hand on her arm stops her from attacking. “Those were your rules,” Emmett looks towards Marcel, his tone mocking, “remember?”

“Oh, no, don’t you dare compare yourself with me,” Marcel interrupts, glaring at the other vampire.

“I won’t allow a bunch of dogs and their half-breed cousins-” Emmett starts to say and Hayley growls loudly, ready to lunge.

“Watch it, Nazi, I’ll show you half-breed,” she mutters, glaring at the vampire.

“Careful, Emmett,” Marcel warns. “You don’t wanna finish that sentence. Hey, Josh?”

“Hmm?”

“This place could use a little sunshine, don’t you think?” he suggests, and Hayley smirks, readying herself.

“Couldn’t agree more!” Josh says cheerfully before yanking open the curtains. Emmett and his nightwalkers vamp-speed out of the way, but Hayley manages to grab one, shoving her hand into his chest. Except, no one can come to save him except for Marcel and Josh because they’re on the other side of the room.

“You assholes almost killed me and my daughter, I’m gonna show you what law and order really means!” she quips before yanking hard and pulling out the vampire’s heart, throwing it on the ground next to the body.

Emmett growls at her, clearly wanting to rush at her and attack, but is stopped by the sun. “Enjoy the rest of your day, Your Highness,” he says mockingly, turning to Marcel. “But, when the sun goes down, we’ll be in the Quarter. And, if we see any werewolves, we’ll be taking matters into our own hands,” he growls and Hayley growls back, flashing her fangs.

“Right back at you, Emmett. Touch a wolf, and we’ll see who takes matters into their own hands,” she growls. “You might end up joining your friend over here,” she gestures to the body at her feet. And then, Emmett and his nightwalkers are gone and Hayley, Marcela and Josh are left in the apartment.

“Are you insane?” Marcel yells, turning to face her. “Do you want to start a war?”

“Wake up, Marcellus,” she quips mockingly, using Elijah’s nickname for the other vampire. “The war’s already begun,” she retorts, completely deadpan. “So, when do we rip Emmett’s head off?” she demands.

“Oh, we will,” Marcel assures. “Let’s deal with this one first,” he gestures to the body at Hayley’s feet. Hayley sighs. [Turns out, she might need to let Marcel take the lead after all].

* * *

Eighty-five missed calls. One hundred texts. All of them from Declan. [Okay, some of the texts are from Klaus, telling her about Hope, but most of them are from Declan].

Declan. As she walks towards Rousseau’s, where Declan should be, Hayley wonders if she would have ever said ‘yes’ to him. If Elijah hadn’t come back, would she have married Declan? If Hope and Freya hadn’t gotten the family back together, if Hope hadn’t sacrificed herself for always and forever, would she have said yes. [She had hesitated. She hadn’t said yes immediately. Sure, she’d said the ring was beautiful, but still. There was that sliver of uncertainty. And, she can’t help but think that even if Caroline hadn’t called, she wouldn’t have said yes. Because Declan wasn’t the man she wanted to marry. He wasn’t, and would never be, the love of her life].

She finds Declan at Russeau’s, tending the bar and she smiles, for a brief moment. [She’d always liked watching him. Not in a stalker way, of course, but in a peaceful, calming sort of way. He seemed so human, and yet so happy, in these small moments. And, it was because of this that she has to say no. Because he is human, and innocent, and he doesn’t deserve to be involved in her world. He can’t be]. Finally, gathering as much courage as she could, she pushed the door to Russeau’s open and stepped inside. Declan looked up at who was entering, and upon seeing it was her, he stopped, setting the glass he was cleaning down.

“Fancy seeing you here,” he greets her, accusation clear in his tone, his Irish accent thick, and Hayley pauses for a second, contemplating turning around and leaving. [But, she can’t, so she takes a deep breath and takes a few steps further into the bar].

“Hey… Declan,” she says softly, her voice barely above a whisper. She clasps her hands in front of her as she steps closer to the bar as Declan sets the glass he’d been cleaning down. “We, uh, we need to talk,” she blurts out, though she’s not sure about this.

“Yeah, we do,” he nods, his blue eyes icy. “I asked you to marry me, Hales. You didn’t say anything,” he mutters, voice thick with emotion.

“I know.”

“I love you,” he adds, and Hayley swallows thickly.

“I know.”

“So?”

There’s a pregnant pause and Hayley’s heart hammers in her chest.

“I’m sorry,” she murmurs softly, head bowed. “I- I can’t. I can’t marry you, Declan, I’m sorry,” she says softly, and she sees him drop his head.

There’s a mixture of sadness and understanding in his eyes when he looks up, “he’s back, isn’t he? Your ex?” Hayley can feel tears prickle at her eyes as the ‘he’ is quite evident and she bows her head in shame.

“I’m sorry…” she mumbles softly.

“I see,” Declan nods, though he still look hurts and Hayley is angry at herself for being the reason for that pain.

Slowly, she makes her way around the bar until she’s standing in front of him, and her eyes meet his and her pupils dilate, “It’s too much, too soon. We both know neither of us is ready for this and I don’t feel the same about you. But, it’s okay. You understand,” she says gently and Declan nods before reaching to wrap his arms around her, pulling her in for a hug. Hayley takes comfort in the feel of him, alive and human, but eventually she has to pull away and they bid each other ‘goodbye’.

* * *

It’s late when Hayley gets back to the compound. Hope is with Klaus and Freya is with Keelin, and Hayley can feel the obvious emptiness of the place. [Briefly, she wonders where Elijah is before brushing it off].

She goes into her room to take a shower and changes into comfy leggings and an off-shoulder black sweater before making her way to the balcony overlooking the courtyard. As she leans against the railing, she hears heavy footsteps behind her, but she doesn’t have to turn around to know who it is. He leans against the railing himself, a respectful distance from her, and from the corner of her eye Hayley can see him, wearing his typical attire, his expression unreadable as he gazes out into the courtyard.

“I killed another vampire today,” she blurts, breaking the silence, and Elijah turns slightly towards her, yet he doesn’t say anything. “I didn’t think, I just- I just ripped his heart out. I was angry, these purist vampires have been threatening my family- they’ve hurt Hope I- I killed one of them,” she finishes, letting the guilt wash over her for the first time. It’s silent between them, neither one of them saying anything, the only sound coming from Hayley’s breathing coming in short gasps.

“Are you- are you alright?” Elijah says finally after a long stretch of silence. [Of course, he’s so concerned for her, he’s Elijah].

“Yeah…” He steps closer to her, and she can feel him, her heart beating rapidly in her chest at the proximity. “I’m a vampire now. Greta’s witch managed to bind my wolf side. I hate it. My daughter sacrificed her future for this family and I don’t know how to protect her,” she can feel tears prickle at her eyes as she admits it all to him, her voice wavering. “And, I… Declan proposed to him. He was my boyfriend,” she says baldly, not sure she should be telling him about Declan, but not wanting to keep it from him either.

“Oh… I see,” Elijah says softly, almost sadly.

“I said no,” she adds quickly, as if feeling a need to do so for his sake.

“Hayley-”

“He’s human,” she tells him. “I said no partly because he’s human,” she continues, her pulse quickening. “But, also because…” she pauses, not sure what to say.

“I understand,” he says gently after a while. Hayley turns, tilting her head, and smiles a little.

It’s silent between them again, Hayley’s mind flooded with thoughts, things she should say, things she shouldn’t, her heart hammering in her chest.

And then, Elijah breaks the silence, turning towards her. “Hayley, I know it may be impossible and I don’t want to be presumptuous, but…” he hesitates, his hands curling into fists in an attempt to keep his emotions in check, “…please forgive me,” he finally says, his voice thick with emotion, his eyes glassy with tears. “Forgive me.”

Hayley looks straight at him, and sees the man she’d first met, she sees the man who said he’d always protect her, she sees the man he was before the Hollow had threatened them. She sees the Elijah that hides behind the Red Door. She sees him, all of him, in the most real way, and her heart beats rapidly in her chest with desire and longing. God, she’d missed him so much, she realizes.

“Elijah…” she drawls slowly.

“Hayley…” he mimics her tone and Hayley closes her eyes in relief as a stray tear falls down her cheek. “Forgive me,” he says again, his voice choked up and when she looks up she sees that a tear had fallen down his face as well and his lower lip is trembling. She can see that he’s on the verge of breaking down as he reaches for the doorway behind him to steady himself and within seconds she’s in his arms, reaching with her own arms to wrap them around him, pulling him towards her. “Forgive me,” Elijah begs in her ear. “Forgive me,” he repeats as she runs her palm along the back of his neck, patting his back.

“Shh, Elijah, shh,” she mutters softly in his ear as Elijah wraps his own arms around her waist. “Shh, I forgive you, shh. It’s okay, Elijah, it’s okay,” she whispers softly in his ear, “it’s okay. I love you. I forgive you. It’s okay, Elijah, I’m here,” she continues to say as Elijah lets out a soft sob followed by a gasped breath. “Shh,” she whispers, but Elijah lets out another sob, his body shuddering in her arms.

“I’m… I’m so sorry,” he chokes out in her ear and her heart aches and she hates that there is nothing she can do about it. All Hayley can do is hold him tighter, whisper soothing words in his ear as he continues to sob, his body shaking in her arms.

Eventually, after what seems like forever, but had probably only been a few minutes, Elijah finally calms down, becoming still in her arms, though his body is still pressed to hers. She falls onto the couch in the study, and Elijah falls down along with her, still clinging to her.

The fire continues to burn in the fireplace as Elijah rests his head on her shoulder and they watch the fire, Hayley’s mind spinning.


	4. The Truth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Follows episode 5x10. Elijah figures out a way to help Hope, Klaus and Elijah finally talk to each other and Klaus has a bit of wisdom to impart with his older brother, Hayley and Antoinette meet, and Elijah finally realizes his feelings for Hayley.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is from Elijah's POV which was both interesting and a tad difficult to write, but I hope you enjoy! Especially the ending.

She smells of vanilla and spice, and something else Elijah can’t quite put his finger on. But, most of all, she feels like home, like comfort and peace and Elijah lets his head fall on her shoulder, finally letting his guard down. [She’s the only person who has ever seen all of him, all his sides, the good parts, and the bad, and loved him anyways]. He lets out a long, shuddery breath as he reaches to take Hayley’s hand in his and she laces their fingers together, squeezing his hand gently. And, Hayley tilts her head ever so slightly and presses a soft kiss to his hair and Elijah is taken back seven years back to the time when he and Hayley were on solid ground, when they were planning a future together and fought every threat that came at their family together. [When he’d first thought about asking her to marry him].

Slowly, Hayley reaches to cup his cheek, and he leans into the touch as she lifts his head up gently, although he doesn’t meet her gaze. He can’t. They’re so close, they’re almost touching, their noses almost brushing against each other, and part of Elijah yearns to brush his lips against hers, to feel her lips on his once again, but the other part of him, the rational part denies himself the impulse.

And, then they hear a crash and screaming.

Hayley jumps up immediately, nearly knocking him off the couch in the process, and Elijah looks at her in surprise.

“Is that...” he trails off, straining to hear what the sounds coming from the cellar are, which doesn’t take too much effort. It’s Hope. And, Roman.

“The nerve of him… Oh, I am going to kill him!” she mutters darkly.

“I’ll be happy to assist,” he quips. “But, I don’t believe that will help matters. Perhaps talking might help?” he suggests. Hayley turns rolls her eyes, shaking her head. And, then she is gone, vamp-speeding in search of the father of her child. Elijah sighs for a brief minute before wiping the tears from his cheeks, the mask of the Noble Original returning. And then, he leeaves in search of Hayley.

“You lied!” he hears Hope scream quite clearly as he rushes after her mother who might kill his brother. “You’re a liar! You tricked me-”

“II- I’m sorry, Hope!” Roman tries helplessly, and Elijah sighs. “I’m really sorry for what I did- I-” but Hope cuts him off, and he hears another crash.

“You kidnapped me! How could you? I trusted you, I trusted you, and you kidnapped me!” Hope lets out another raged scream. But, Elijah doesn’t go to the cellar, perhaps he has too much faith in his niece, but he knows his brother is a more pressing matter.

Finding Hayley didn’t take long as her screams directed at his brother could probably be heard in Mystic Falls.

“Have you lost your mind?” she asks the hybrid just as Elijah enters the courtyard. [It seems that Hayley had decided to take her verbal exchange with Klaus away from Hope. Briefly, Elijah wondered where his niece might be but pushed it aside, instead focusing on his brother].

“No, Little Wolf, as a matter of fact I haven’t. I was merely helping our daughter expel those pesky demons that now reside within her. All because my sister abetted her in taking back that nasty Hollow magic. And you?”

“You are actually insane!” Hayley yells, stepping towards Klaus. “How is having Hope torture Roman a way to for her to deal with the Hollow? Huh, Klaus?” she growls at the hybrid, glaring at him. [Elijah is a little taken aback by the revelation, but not surprised as he knows of the role Roman played in both Hayley and Hope almost dying. Still, Roman himself was merely a teenager who had been manipulated by the woman he’d been calling mother for the better part of a century].

“She’s angry at him because he lied to her, tricked her and kidnapped her. I’m merely helping her,” Klaus quips, and Elijah can practically see Hayley roll her eyes.

“She’s fifteen, Klaus! And, she’s not you! You can’t teach her to deal this way with everyone who hurt her, it’s not helping her, it’s hurting her!” Hayley yells

“Niklaus!” he yells, drawing attention to himself, and resulting in both of them to look at him. “Brother, please,” he starts, hoping to be able to talk some sense in his brother, though even he is aware it is very unlikely.

“Ah, brother! Thank you for joining us with your brooding and your incessant-” Klaus starts, sounding annoyed, but is cut off by Hayley.

“Klaus,” she hisses, glaring at him, though she doesn’t even glance at Elijah.

“Niklaus, this will destroy her,” Elijah finally says, earning Klaus’ attention. “This evil, this incessant need for violence will turn into a hunger for violence and there will be no going back from that! The girl – the little girl – we all know and love will be gone! Gone!” he says, his voice filled with emotion as he looks straight in Klaus’ eyes, refusing to glance at Hayley.

“And, she’ll be merely following in the revered footsteps of her father. And, uncle,” Klaus quips, smirking. Hayley rolls her eyes in disgust. Elijah himself feels like throwing up if it were possible.

“No, Niklaus, she was supposed to be better than us!” he yells, slightly exasperated. “She was supposed to be our family’s hope,” he added, more quietly this time.

“Yes, well, I suppose that didn’t quit work out, did it?” Klaus retorts, rolling his eyes. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, Hope needs my help.” And, with that, Klaus vanished out of the courtyard leaving Elijah and Hayley standing there in silence. Hayley’s shoulders slumped and she met his gaze, and Elijah could see that she was struggling with their current situation. But, there was something else, a sadness in her gaze that didn’t have anything to do with Hope. Elijah took a few slow steps closer to Hayley. [He knew he didn’t have any right to offer any physical comfort, but he hoped that being near her would be enough].

“What is it?” he asked gently.

“Freya called me,” she says softly, breaking the silence, and Elijah’s own breath hitches as his mind races with thoughts of his big sister’s safety. “T- TThere was an explosion- Emmett and his Nightwalkers sent a human with the bomb where the wolves were preparing for Mardi Gras…” she trails off, and hesitates before continuing, “she and Keelin were there, and they’re fine, but…” Tears well up in her eyes and Elijah itches to reach for her, to wrap his arms around her and comfort her, but he can’t. He can’t.

“Hayley-” he starts to say, his voice soft and steady though his heart was beating rapidly in his chest.

“Lisina is dead,” she finally revealed and Elijah inhaled sharply. “Sh- she was one of the few people I trusted- she is- was the alpha… And, now? Now, she’s dead Elijah and it’s possibly my fault,” her voice breaks, and Elijah sighs before stepping forward and closing the space between them. Throwing caution to the wind, he reaches for her, wrapping his hand around her arm, his thumb rubbing gently over her skin, and he lifts his gaze to meet hers. Hayley exhales slowly, her eyes fluttering closed briefly and a stray tear falls down her cheek.

“I am so sorry,” he mutters softly, lifting his other hand to cup her cheek and wiping the tear away with his thumb. “We will fix this, Hayley, we will find away. I will find a way. You have my word,” he vows, his voice filled with emotion. Hayley’s eyes flutter open and she drops her gaze, biting her lower lip.

“Elijah…” she pauses, unsure, “don’t take this the wrong way, but your word doesn’t mean as much as it used to,” she finishes and Elijah feels like somebody had stabbed him and twisted the knife in his chest. And yet, all he can do is nod.

“Then, I will try, Hayley. I will try my best,” he says, his voice thick with emotion.

“I know, Elijah. I know,” she says before pulling away and Elijah feels a sudden emptiness. [He wishes he could continue to hold her, but knows that even this all-too-short moment was more than enough]. “I’m gonna check in with the pack. Maybe try Vincent?”

“I will,” he agrees. And then, she is gone. Elijah sighs softly and then turns around and leaves the Mikaelson compound himself, making his way to Lafayette Cemetery, where he will for sure find Vincent.

As expected, Elijah finds Vincent in Lafayette Cemetery and he huffs a relieved sigh.

“Vincent,” he says by way of greeting though the former regent of New Orleans isn’t too pleased to see him.

“Elijah Mikaelson, my least favorite Original,” Vincent greets with an eye roll. Elijah scoffs.

“I thought that was Niklaus?” he quips, small smirk tugging at his lips.

“Yeah, well, you’re all the same. But, I guess Klaus beats all of you,” he shrugs. “How can I help you today, Elijah?”

“Forgive me for disturbing you,” he begins, taking a deep breath before continuing, “but Hope needs your help. She- when she took the power back, i- it affected her. And, she needs help to expel it. Niklaus is trying to help, but his methods are rather unorthodox and I was hoping you could,” Elijah explains, worried for his niece and hoping Vincent can help. Slowly, Vincent shakes his head.

“It’s too late for Hope. It’s too late,” he says and Elijah can feel his heart sink. [He would not accept that, he would not give up]. “Eventually, the darkness is gonna overtake her, and the kid you know is gonna be no more,” the witch finishes, but Elijah is already shaking his head.

“There has to be another way,” he hesitates, blinking rapidly, his heart hammering in his chest. “There-”

“There isn’t,” Vincent cuts him off firmly. “I’m sorry, Elijah, but there isn’t,” Vincent tells him sadly.

“I don’t accept that,” he says, shaking his head with determination. “She is my niece, Vincent, I will not give up on her.” [And, there was a part of him that didn’t want to disappoint Hayley. Didn’t want to see the look on her face when he told her there was no helping her daughter].

“You know, she barely survived this when she was eight!” Vincent snapped, sounding indignant, inflection clear in his voice, and Elijah flinched slightly, though it went unnoticed by the witch. “Now she’s a budding adult and she’s one human kill away from triggering her werewolf side! You think she’s angry right now, you wait till those claws come out and the eyes turn yellow-” Elijah cuts him off, not in the mood for this.

“I just need you to fix this, Vincent,” he says, his voice edgy. [He’d beg if necessary, or if it would sway Vincent, but he doesn’t think it would].

“I don’t know how to fix this, Elijah!” the witch exclaims, exasperated and annoyed, and Elijah takes a small step back. “Look around you!” he gestures around them, and Elijah glances in the direction he points. “All these witches just woke up from the dead with vampire blood coursing through their veins. Now, as soon as their grief gives them one second’s pause, they’re gonna have to decide whether or not they’re gonna feed and live forever, or end it all,” Vincent sounds pained, and Elijah wonders if this is personal, and judging by the quiet desperation clear in the witch’s voice, it is. “They’re my one and only priority, Elijah. That’s it,” he adds before turning around and leaving Elijah standing in the middle of Lafayette Cemetery wondering what to do next. His phone vibrates and Elijah glances at it to find a text from Antoinette. _I must see you urgently, _it reads, and Elijah sighs. He has no choice but to go see her no matter how painful, or difficult it would be.

* * *

As he makes his way to meet his ex-fiancée, he thinks that meeting someone in the sewers is not a particularly romantic meeting spot, but then romance isn’t the focus here. And, besides, whatever he shared with Antoinette is over, and pales in comparison to what he feels for Hayley, so there is no point. [He wasn’t certain where he and Hayley stood at this point, and whether she actually forgave him, but that didn’t change how he felt now that he remembered everything].

She’s almost fully blended with her surroundings to the point where if Elijah weren’t an Original vampire, he probably wouldn’t have noticed her. A witch certainly wouldn’t.

“Antoinette,” he says simply, stepping towards her, though he keeps a distance.

“Elijah…” she smiles warmly, and Elijah feels slightly guilty about it. “Hi,” she adds.

“You said you needed to see me urgently?” he inquires.

“Yeah, I, uh,” she steps towards him, reaching for him, her skin soft as she touches his cheek, “I missed you,” she says in a breathy whisper and Elijah inhales sharply, clenching his fist. [He can’t do this, not right now, but no matter what he feels for Antoinette, the close proximity does affect him].

“Forgive me,” he mutters, stepping away from her and he sees the look of hurt in her face, and part of him regrets it, but he can’t dwell on it, and he takes another step back, putting distance between them. “I- why did you ask to see me, Antoinette?”

“Uh, I wasn’t actually sure you’d come, but I- I don’t know who else could…” she pauses, gulps, and Elijah wonders what had happened before he realizes it as soon as she says it. “Roman was taken.” [Of course, Roman couldn’t be gone long till Antoinette noticed, and she would know it was Klaus most likely].

“Niklaus…” Elijah struggled with the idea of explaining that Roman was being used as Hope’s punching bag. He sighs heavily.

“Elijah he’s going to kill him if he hasn’t already. My whole family- Klaus killed our father-” he cuts her off, trying not to sound like Klaus, but he remembers what August Müller had done, and he cannot find it in himself to regret his words.

“Your father- August considered wolves and hybrid abominations. My brother included. What Niklaus did was not unjustified, Antoinette. And, your mother kidnapped Hope and Hayley to bind their werewolf sides and kill them. She almost-” he cuts himself off abruptly, and inhales sharply.

“So this is about Hayley?” Antoinette sounds both hurt, her dark gaze flickering to his. “Is that why…” she trails off, chuckling darkly, and shakes her head. “I can’t… I can’t believe it,” she adds, starting to pace. “He is my brother! Roman is my brother and you are leaving his life in your evil brother’s hands because of her? When you were so ready to jump to his rescue mere days ago!” she snaps, still pacing.

“I wasn’t in my right mind, Antoinette!” he yells back, buttoning his suit jacket. “My memories were- I didn’t remember what I do now. I didn’t know all that I know now. And, what I know now is that your brother abetted your mother in hurting my family. Of course, he was manipulated by Greta, as was I, but that doesn’t excuse his actions! What he did was dangerous. And, if Greta had succeeded? If she’d killed- Hope would be without a mother. You know how that is, you cannot possibly justify that!” he growls, some of his pent up anger finally seeping through. Antoinette takes a slow step towards him, but he takes a step back.

“Hope! The only reason we stayed in this damned town was so Roman could talk to her. I’ve been- I wanted to leave as soon as…” she trails off, her gaze flickering to his briefly before she continues, “I wanted to leave this place, but Roman wouldn’t until he talked to Hope. I was going to reach out to you to help me set up a secret meeting so my brother could make amends with her and then we could be out of here,” she confesses and Elijah’s brows furrow in confusion. “I know- I didn’t quite understand myself, but I- I suppose he cares for her, for your brother’s child. Which is odd, but…” she trails off, but Elijah is already forming a plan in his head, one that would involve talking to Niklaus but would hopefully spare any innocent lives. [Roman included]. “Where are you going?” she asks him once she notices him stepping away. “Elijah!”

“I have to speak to my brother urgently,” he tells her.

“Elijah, please-”

“Don’t worry about Roman. With any luck, he will be in one piece,” he adds before vamp-speeding away in the direction of the compound.

* * *

The compound is oddly quiet, so Elijah takes it as a good sign, though there is a part of him that is worried Hope had had her way with Roman. [If he thought it would help, he would volunteer as her supernatural punching bag himself, but he wasn’t sure. He hadn’t spoken to Hope since his return, and she hadn’t been thrilled to see him at breakfast the day before].

He finds his brother in his studio, though his niece is nowhere in sight.

“Ah, brother! Come to set me on the righteous path?” Niklaus asks sarcastically, turning to him, glass of bourbon in hand. Elijah rolls his eyes.

“So, this is your new parenting style? Allowing your daughter to mercilessly torture that boy? I don’t believe this is what Hayley meant when she told you to spend time with Hope,” he says.

“Don’t, Elijah! Don’t tell me about what Hayley meant, you have no right since you abandoned her! And, that boy lied and kidnapped Hope and abetted his mother in kidnapping Hayley and almost killing her. I should think you’d be proud of your niece,” Klaus quips cynically before pouring himself another glass.

“Niklaus, please,” he tries, just a hint of desperation in his voice. “Don’t.”

“So, if my daughter decides to end his life, then that would make her someone who vanquishes her enemies, following in the footsteps of her father and her uncle,” his brother winks at him and Elijah clenches his fists to keep himself from losing control.

“Niklaus, she was supposed to be better than us! And, you cannot possibly think that Hayley will let you do this!” he says, his voice rising in pitch.

“Hayley is preoccupied dealing with her new situation. I’m merely helping with Hope,” Klaus retorts and Elijah finds himself questioning his brother’s sanity. “She’s ill. If this brings her some relief, then nothing else matters,” Klaus adds, his voice more measured, and Elijah’s gaze softens.

“And, then what? When she’s done with him and the darkness returns?” he retorts, shuddering at Vincent’s words still ringing in his ears.

“We’ll find another solution, then,” Klaus mutters. “At this point, I don’t care what I have to do for Hope. But, right now all I care about is bringing her momentary peace. But, I must ask, brother, while I’m enjoying your withering judgement, why are you suddenly so concerned with us? With Hope? I hear Antoinette’s in town, so the two of you can ride off happily in the sunset,” Klaus retorts, inflection clear in his voice.

“Niklaus, Antoinette’s here for Roman. And, I no longer feel the same for her as I used to,” he admits, pursing his lips.

“So, Hayley’s taking you back? After you abandoned her? After you made her believe she wasn’t even worth a goodbye- None of us were, really!” Klaus yells, emotion clear in his booming voice, and Elijah flinches.

“Hayley and I are… I don’t know what we are…” he trails off, hesitating. “And, I couldn’t tell her, I couldn’t say goodbye like that to her because if I had I wouldn’t have been able to go through with it,” he finally admits.

“And, what about the rest of us? Rebekah, Kol, Hope… me?” Klaus yells, and Elijah can see the emotion in his little brother’s eyes, and he feels guilty for it. “We all had to hear from Marcel of all people,” Klaus adds. “So much for always and forever,” he mutters darkly and Elijah flinches once again.

“I didn’t think I could face any of you to tell you what had happened!” he yells, relinquishing his grip on his self-control briefly. “I couldn’t… I just couldn’t face any of you knowing I would have to be apart from all of you! You think you’re the only person who cannot stand to be alone? I am no more capable than you of being apart from everyone else, especially you, Niklaus!” His lip trembles briefly and he blinks rapidly, refusing to meet Klaus’ gaze.

“So why leave us like that? You think I wouldn’t need you to at least call me? I- the things I’ve done all these years, Elijah, I- I needed you!” Klaus snaps, clearly close to tears. “At least through technological means,” he adds as an afterthought.

“I’m sorry, all right? But, I knew that I wouldn’t be able to stay away, especially if I knew you were up to your usual villainous self,” he quips. “Niklaus, I understand you are angry with me, but please do forgive me. I just- I just didn’t think I could stay away, and also I- I suppose a part of me wanted to forget. Just for a little while, just enough to take the pain away,” he admits, his own voice thick with emotion.

“Go on,” Klaus says softly, moving to pour another glass of bourbon before handing it to Elijah. He takes a sip, and it burns his throat briefly before turning to his brother.

“I- I hurt her Niklaus,” he says finally, his voice shaking.

“Hayley? Elijah, you must now she forgave you for what happened in the pendant,” Klaus says softly, looking at him as if Elijah was a mere teenager, not a thousand-year-old Original vampire.

“It’s not just- I hurt her, and I saw the look in her eyes when I- I didn’t know that we could ever come back from that… And, when faced with the reality of who knows how long without you, Rebekah and Kol, I couldn’t bear it without Hayley as well. Or, well, with the knowledge that she- she was disgusted by me. That I hurt her,” he says finally, and he feels like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

“Oh, Elijah… Hayley simply couldn’t handle Hope knowing that she could forgive you for what happened in the pendant. Hayley knew that while she was hurt and upset at first, she would forgive you eventually, and she didn’t want Hope to see that… That is why she pulled away from you,” Klaus reveals, and Elijah inhales sharply. “But, a while later, I suppose she had a change of heart. And then, Rebekah called that you’d had Marcel wipe away your memories, and whatever thoughts she had of reuniting with you were moot.”

“Oh… I, uh…” he trails off, at a loss for words trying to take in this information, and silence descends between them as they sit there. Elijah couldn’t quite believe what Niklaus had revealed to him, and his hear beat rapidly in his chest at the revelation.

“It is also part of the reason I didn’t want you to have your memories restored, no matter how much I wanted you back,” Klaus admits after a few seconds of silence. “I knew that remembering hurting her, and here I mean both the pendant and what happened at the farmhouse would cause you immense pain…”

“Niklaus…” he trails off.

“I wanted to spare you that pain. But, also the pain of remembering a millennium worth of memories all at once- I know what the Red Door did to you when our mother used it as part of the torture she inflicted on you, and all those memories… I wanted to spare you, brother…” he trails off, his gaze flickering to Elijah’s.

“Thank you, Niklaus. And, please, forgive me for abandoning you,” he says softly.

“You are here now, brother,” Klaus quips. And then, Klaus wraps his arms around him, pulling him into a tight embrace and Elijah hugs him back, glad to have his brother back. “You are here now.”

After a while they pull away, and Klaus pours them each another glass of bourbon and they sit together, finally at peace with each other. 

“I love her, Niklaus…” he admits finally, finally telling someone the truth that had been eating at him since he’d recovered his memories.

“Antoinette?” Klaus quips before chuckling at Elijah’s glare. “Hayley, you mean?”

“Yes. I love her. I always have, I always will. And, I hurt her. I hurt her and I love her the most, and I- I don’t know how to come back from that… how to forgive myself- I don’t think I can…” he trails off, glancing at Klaus, sighing heavily.

“Elijah, you’ll just have to find it in yourself. Because Hayley forgives you, I know that for sure. So, you’ll just have to forgive yourself and go to the woman you love. Because, I won’t bear another century of the two of you dancing around each other…” Klaus smirks. “And, she needs you, Elijah. She needs you through all of this, so you might as well find it in your tortured, righteous, emotionally damaged self to forgive yourself and tell Hayley how you feel, brother,” Klaus tells him seriously and Elijah, sighs, resigned. [He clearly doesn’t have much of a choice, and while he doesn’t believe himself to be worthy of forgiveness, he does still love her and desires to be there for her when she needs him].

“Thank you, Niklaus,” he says softly. “Now, I do believe I have a solution to my niece’s Hollow-induced supernatural anger and need to lash out, but it would involve releasing Roman… He is still alive, isn’t he?” he turns to Niklaus, hoping his niece hadn’t killed the poor boy.

“He lives,” Klaus quips darkly. “And, do tell, brother.”

* * *

He bids Niklaus goodbye and makes his way to meet Antoinette, who is supposedly at Russeau’s at the moment.

“About to have fun without me?” someone says from behind him, and Elijah turns around immediately to come face to face with Hayley. His gaze softens.

“Hayley,” he says by way of greeting. “What are you doing here?”

“Klaus called. Told me about your plan to help Hope. Not, that I agree with the whole violence thing, but given that Emmett and his Nightwalkers have been a pain in the ass, I agreed this time,” she says, a tiny bit of sass clear in her tone and Elijah smiles, reminded of the sassy girl he’d fallen for fifteen years ago who had matured over the years, but she was the same woman, and he still loved her. [Niklaus’ words ring in his ears, and he knows he and Hayley need to talk about everything, and he needs to tell her that he is still in love with her and that he hopes she feels the same].

“I see,” he mutters as she steps closer to him and they start walking.

“So, where are we going exactly?” Hayley asks after a while as they walk through the Quarter.

“Russeau’s. I have to meet someone there,” he says, not quite wanting to admit that he was missing his ex-fiancée. Kind of.

“Meeting someone?” she asks, never one to beat around the bush. “Who?”

Elijah doesn’t answer, hesitating, but Hayley sees through him, and answers the question herself.

“Antoinette.” The name falls from her lips, and Elijah’s gaze flickers to hers and he can see that part of her thinks that there is still something between them.

“Hayley, I…” he starts to say, but trails off, hesitant to explain what is happening between them at the moment.

“It’s fine, don’t worry about it,” she cuts him off, picking up pace, but he catches up easily, reaching to grab her hand and stop her.

“Hayley, wait, please,” he says softly, his fingers curled around her arm, keeping her still. “Let me explain,” he asks her gently.

“I don’t need an explanation, Elijah,” she snaps, reverting behind the usual sarcasm and anger, and Elijah feels a pang of hurt.

“Please don’t do that,” he says softly, his breath hitching in his throat. “Please don’t hide how much it bothers you,” he adds, and he sees her shoulders slump as she closes her eyes briefly. “I do owe you an explanation, but that may take a while. Just please know that I am not meeting Antoinette for the reasons you think I am. I am meeting her to ask her help in gathering the Nightwalkers. They are her mother’s followers, they will follow her,” explains softly, and Hayley nods. “Or, at least I hope they do.”

“So, this isn’t about her?” Hayley asks, her voice small, lip trembling slightly though she bites it hard. His hand is still gripping her arm and they’re standing so close to each other he can feel her warmth, can feel her breath on his face, and part of him wishes to close the gap between them, but he knows it might not be such a good idea.

“No, it isn’t. Though I do need to talk to her at some point about, uh, us, but for now I am focused on my family. Helping Hope,” he tells her and he sees her breath hitch in her throat as he leans ever so slightly, dangerously, closer to her. Hayley nods, clearly not trusting herself to open her mouth. Or, maybe, not trusting him. “And, we need to talk, too,” he adds gently.

“Yeah, yes… we do,” she breathes out, her voice barely above a whisper. And then, she pulls away from him and steps back, putting distance between them. [At least one of them is rational, because Elijah himself had lost all sense after being in such closer proximity to her]. “Shall we?”

“Yes,” he agrees, and they start walking. It’s silent for a while, and they’re approaching Russeau’s before Elijah breaks the silence. “Hayley, I want to thank you for last night. For being there for me like that,” he tells her, briefly glancing at her. Hayley turns to him, her gaze warm, and she smiles softly.

“Of course,” she says softly.

Just then, they reach Russeau’s and Elijah opens the door, and lets Hayley enter first before following her. Antoinette looks up immediately at the sound, her figure concealed in the shadows. Marcel’s friend Josh is managing the bar, and Elijah is glad for it. [He wonders if this was Klaus’ doing, but brushes it off].

“Elijah,” Antoinette says by way of greeting, immediately stepping towards him. “I thought we were meeting alone,” she says, her tone measured as she glances over at Hayley.

“Change of plans, Baby Dracula,” Hayley quips cynically and Elijah can’t help but roll his eyes.

“And who might you be?” Antoinette quips, her gaze flickering to Elijah, though he tries not to look her way.

“You really don’t recognize me? After your mother kidnapped me, stashed me in some farmhouse in the middle of freaking nowhere, tortured me, kidnapped my daughter, bound my wolf side, and almost killed me?” she yells, releasing much of the anger she still felt towards Greta. [Elijah wonders if it was a good idea to bring Hayley along, but there’s nothing he can do about it now. Josh himself seems oblivious].

“Hayley Marshall,” Antoinette gasps, understanding clear in her eyes as she looks between Hayley and Elijah.

“In the flesh. And, you must be Antoinette Sienna. I would say nice to meet you, but that would be a lie,” Hayley retorts cynically.

“Pleasure,” Antoinette mutters dryly.

“I’m sure,” Hayley growls, glaring at the other woman.

“You might want to stop this before it starts, because I just cleaned the bar,” Josh quips from beside him, and Elijah sighs. [Apparently, he wasn’t so oblivious].

“While this little exchange is mildly amusing, I don’t want the two of you to engage in a cat fight. Hayley, we’re all working for the same cause, getting Emmett and his Nightwalkers out of New Orleans, so please don’t lose sight of that,” he tells her, looking seriously at her, and she nods, stepping back and rolling her eyes. [While he’s not exactly fond of telling her what to do, he doesn’t want a fight to ensue, so keeping Hayley on the sidelines would be for the best]. “Antoinette, I do have a question for you, however. Those who once followed your mother, do you think they’ll respond to your leadership?”

Antoinette stares at him for a few seconds, hesitating to speak before finally doing so, “you’re asking me to up her mantle in a war against your brother?”

“Not exactly. I am asking you to gather them at St. Anne’s Church. Leave the rest to us,” he explains, gazing deeply into her brown eyes.

“Us? By us, you mean her, too? And, Klaus?” Antoinette asks, and he can see the distrust clear in her gaze.

“Well, don’t forget that your brother is still in our cellar, so if you want to see him, I suggest allying yourself with us for once,” Hayley quips from beside him, glaring at Antoinette. “Look, you might not trust Klaus and me, but I’m sure you trust Elijah, so…” she trails off, refusing to meet his gaze.

“Antoinette, please,” he pleads softly, looking at her warmly. “Have faith in me. I am asking you to have faith in me,” he adds, his lips curling into a soft smile.

“Will Roman be alright?” she asks, worry clear in her voice.

“Yes. He will be. I give you my word,” he tells her seriously.

“Alright,” Antoinette says finally, defeated. “I will gather them.”

“Good. Then, I’ll see you at St. Anne’s at dark,” he tells her. And then, much to his surprise, Antoinette leans up and brushes her lips against his cheek. Elijah stills briefly, automatically reaching to grip her waist before hearing a growl no doubt coming from Hayley, and pulling away. “Please don’t,” he tells his former fiancée.

“Right,” she mutters, stepping away.

But, before Elijah can say anything, Hayley had vamp-sped out of Russeau’s, and he sighs in defeat.

“Sorry, dude,” Josh mutters. Elijah nods at him before vamp-speeding himself out of the bar, but when he exits, Hayley is nowhere in sight and he sighs heavily.

* * *

Nighttime arrives soon enough, and Antoinette messages him that she is ready at St. Anne’s, so Elijah goes to meet her. [He hadn’t seen Hayley since Russeau’s though he’d tried to look for her, but eventually he’d given up. He’d see her soon enough, and he’d talk to her. Hopefully it wouldn’t be too late].

“I asked you here because you’ve all been loyal to my mother’s cause,” Antoinette says, coming from behind the gathered Nazi vampires before stepping up on the podium. “Her son, my brother, has been taken prisoner by the half-breed Klaus Mikaelson, and together we are going to liberate him!” she announces, and the vampires erupt in cheers and applause.

“Yeah!” they shout in unison.

“We’re going to do more than that,” Emmett says, coming up to the podium as well, unzipping a bag to reveal an array of weapons that are clearly well-equipped to kill even an Original, and holds up a vial with a clear liquid inside it before hopping down. [Elijah realizes then that Emmett had managed to acquire Marcel’s venom, and struggles to keep from shuddering visibly].

“Like my mother, we must, tonight, embrace a vision for our species that we’re willing to die for!” Antoinette adds, managing to sound as convicted as she can. From the shadows, he steps into the room, and the gathered vampires stare at him in shock, but Elijah keeps his expression neutral.

“I must confess that I myself have recently had a change of heart,” he tells them, easily sounding convincing. “And, tonight, we go to war,” he announces, stepping up on the podium along with Antoinette. “But, those of you who are not resolute in the belief that we are the one and the only species, the time to leave is now.” [It seems that no poor unfortunate soul does so, and Elijah feels sorry for all of them, if only for a moment].

“We’re with you,” Emmett says in his booming voice.

“Yeah!” the others agree.

“Now, Greta died in the name of purity, and thanks to the unwavering conviction of her followers, particularly those of you who chose to lead when she was gone, her message lives on. So now, for those of you who stood by her, you will share her fate,” he reveals, his lips curling into a smirk. The vampires murmur, shocked, and just then, the doors are blown open and Hope walks in, flanked by Klaus and Hayley on either side. Klaus nods at him, but his gaze is trained on Hayley.

“What are they doing here?” Emmett asks, having managed to get over his shock.

“The road to redemption is long and winding, but worthy,” he quips, smirking. 

“You betrayed us!”

“We told you what my mother thought,” Antoinette speaks up from beside him.

“And, we never said we agreed,” he quips.

“You can leave them to us now,” Klaus pipes up, smirking at him.

“This is gonna be fun,” he hears Hayley mutter from beside Marcellus who had joined them.

He and Antoinette take one last, long look before vamp-speeding out of St. Anne’s, and find themselves on the streets of New Orleans.

“You did some good acting in there,” he tells her as they walk towards the compound. “Quite the actress…” he muses.

“Well, you were not too bad yourself. Could’ve fooled me,” she says smirking, reaching to loop her arm through his, but he pulls away. “Elijah…” she starts to say, but trails off.

“Not here,” he mutters, picking up his pace to the compound. 

It’s a while later, after Klaus, Hope and Hayley had returned along with Roman when Antoinette finally corners him.

“Antoinette,” he says by way of greeting as she walks slowly towards him, moving to rest her hands on his chest.

“Elijah… I- thank you for all that you’ve done for me. For showing me what real love is… Even if- even if you no longer feel that way for me…” she trails off, her eyes sad.

“Forgive me. I didn’t- I’m sorry about that, but I- I love her, Antoinette. And, I have hurt her a lot over the years, and I don’t even know if she’ll take me back, but I’d like to try. I want to try,” he tells her, moving to rest one hand on her waist. “I- she is the one person who has seen all of me, and hasn’t run for the hills. She knows me better than anyone- I let her in, Antoinette. And, I don’t let people in, not really. She’s the only one. And, I love her. I’m sorry that I don’t feel the same for you,” he admits, pursing his lips as a tear falls down Antoinette’s cheek. He reaches ever so slowly and wipes it away with his thumb before cupping her cheek gently, and she leans into the touch.

“It’s okay. I suppose I understand. I have loved you since I first met you,” she smiles slightly. “So, I guess this is goodbye,” she says sadly, her eyes filled with tears.

“It is,” he agrees.

“I hope you can forgive me for the mess my family made?” she asks him as he reaches to take both her hands in his.

“I could ask you the same question?” he quips softly, smiling warmly at her. [Despite everything, she had helped him in France and right now, so he was grateful to her for that]. “Where will you go?” he wonders.

“Someone once told me that Shanghai is a safe place to hide out,” she admits, and he chuckles, remembering the first time they had met, back in 1933.

“Indeed,” he agrees softly.

“Yes. A man who always did right by me,” she tells him, and he flinches slightly. “Elijah, even though you feel more for her than you ever did for me, please know that my feelings never changed,” she tells him.

“I know,” he says sadly.

“But I make no apologies for the way I feel for Hayley. And, it is about time I tell her that. Goodbye, Antoinette,” he says, pulling away from her. She nods sadly, reaching to wipe away a few stray tears.

“Goodbye, Elijah Mikaelson,” she says finally before tilting her head up and brushing her lips softly against his cheek.

* * *

He finds Hayley leaning against the balcony and wonders if she’d heard his conversation with Antoinette, and his breath hitches in apprehension. Despite how sure he’d been with Antoinette, now that he’s faced with Hayley, the woman he has loved for so long, he’s no longer as certain, his thoughts a jumbled mess in his head. She seems exhausted as she stands there, one hand resting on the railing, gazing out into courtyard. He takes a few slow steps towards her, his fingers itching to touch her, hand reaching to grasp hers.

“Hayley…” he starts, and pauses, not sure what to say.

“Elijah,” she responds, lifting her head to finally, finally look at him and he is a little bit struck by the raw emotion in her eyes.

“Antoinette and I were just-” he starts to say, to explain it to her, but Hayley cuts him off.

“You don’t have to explain, it was your private conversation,” she says, her voice soft, and he’s reminded, briefly, of the once nosy young woman he’d first met almost sixteen years ago. [That nosy young woman would have eavesdropped, but it seems she grew up. Or, maybe she just did it for him, Elijah wouldn’t know].

“I feel the need to explain it anyway,” he admits, his lips curling slightly into a small smirk, and Hayley half-chuckles.

“Well, if you say so…” she trails off and purses her lips, giving him a small nod. Elijah inhales sharply, bracing himself.

“It’s over with Antoinette,” he finally says. “I- she left, and I told her that I did not feel the same for her,” he scrambles for his words. [He’s usually good with words, he usually speaks eloquently and he always chooses his words carefully, and yet for once he is at a loss for words and doesn’t quite know what to say].

“Oh,” is all Hayley says, surprise written all over her face. “I- Elijah, wh- what does this mean?” she finally asks, her gaze flickering to his, searching for an answer. There is a pregnant pause as they stare at each other, neither of them sure of what to say.

“I don’t- I don’t think I ever stopped loving you, Hayley,” he confesses finally, and he hears her inhale sharply. “I just- I just didn’t know it, but it’s you, Hayley. It’s always been you,” he says softly and Hayley smiles warmly at him before stepping closer to him, and he can feel her warmth, and all he wants is to wrap her in his arms, but he fights against himself not to, not yet. “Even when I was with Antoinette- whatever I felt for her when I didn’t have my memories wasn’t anywhere close to what I feel for you. What I’ve always felt for you…” he trails off, his voice thick with emotion. Hayley’s lips curl into a small, shy smile.

“Elijah…” His name falls from her lips in a barely-there whisper, though her eyes are filled with emotion, and Elijah’s breath hitches in his throat.

“I have loved you since the moment I met you, Hayley Marshall,” he says finally as Hayley’s gaze continues to be locked with his. “And, I know- I know that I am a monster, and I am damaged beyond repair, and that you deserve better, but I- I cannot stop loving you,” he finally admits and Hayley lets out a barely-audible gasp. “I can’t,” he shakes his head.

There is a deafening silence, neither of them saying anything, though their chests rise and fall rapidly as they stand mere inches from each other, their gazes locked with each other.

He doesn’t expect it, doesn’t expect Hayley to take those steps to close the gap between them, and then her hands cup his cheeks and her lips are on his, and Elijah feels as if the ground is moving beneath his feet. He reaches to wrap his hands around her waist, the gesture natural and familiar. And, he kisses her back. Her lips are warm and firm on his, and he deepens the kiss, his lips molding with hers. It’s a soft, lingering sort of kiss, yet full of passion and they both pour every emotion, every feeling into it, their tongues tangling together, teeth nipping and biting gently, Hayley’s hands firmly resting at the back of his neck, his hands moving up and down her back, pressing her body closer.

When they finally pull away, noses brushing against each other, she finally mumbles against his lips, “Elijah… you know I have always loved you.” And then, she kisses him again and Elijah feels like the ground beneath his feet is no longer steady as he grips her tightly, refusing to let go.


	5. Painful Conversations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elijah and Hayley finally talk, bringing all the pain they'd caused each other to the surface. Hayley, Klaus and Hope attend Lisina's funeral, an encounter between Hayley and a werewolf in the Bayou leads to a painful revelation to Elijah. Thank you BellaLeigh for helping me and getting my butt to write!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Flashbacks are in italics. The part about co-dependency during Klaus and Hayley's conversation was by BellaLeigh. Enjoy!

His lips were firm and warm on hers as Hayley continued to kiss him, her hands cupping his cheeks, his hands on her waist, their bodies pressed against each other. Elijah pushes her gently against the wall behind her, his hands still firm on her hips as their tongues continue exploring every inch of the other’s mouth, Hayley’s fingers fisting Elijah’s hair. God, she’d missed this. Missed him. [All these years, she’d kept telling herself that she could do this, could live without him, yet it was clear how impossible that was].

Finally, and reluctantly, she pulls away, though she still rests her forehead against his, both of them gasping breathlessly for air.

“Hayley…” Elijah mutters huskily as his nose brushes against hers.

“Elijah…” she mimics his tone. “I’ve missed you,” she admits, gently caressing his jaw with her thumb. “You have no idea how much,” she adds softly, her voice trembling slightly.

“I love you,” is all Elijah can say before he leans forward to close the gap between them yet again, pressing his lips against hers. Hayley kisses him back softly, her hands still cupping his cheeks. It’s a lingering sort of kiss, slow and gentle, yet filled with every emotion they’d kept to themselves for so long, and Hayley kind of can’t believe that she’s back in his arms, that he’d told her he loves her, and he’d never stopped. When they pull away once again, though neither of them makes any effort to put any space between them, so their foreheads are resting against each other, Elijah adds softly, “I love you, Hayley Marshall,” and Hayley feels the ground become unsteady beneath her feet just as it had the first time he’d said it.

“I love you, too,” she whispers softly against his lips. She rests her hands on his shoulders as Elijah’s hands rest on her lower back, their bodies impossibly close to each other.

“Hayley,” he says softly, and she can see the emotion in his eyes and her heartbeat quickens.

“What is it?” she asks softly.

“We must talk… there is so much we need to talk about…” he says softly. “So much to apologize for… we’ve hurt each other so much over the years- I- I have hurt you so much over the years-” she cuts him off then, silencing him.

“Not just you, Elijah. Please don’t- don’t put it all on you because I have hurt you, too. And, I am so sorry for all the pain I’ve cause you… all the ways I have hurt you over the years… so, please, please forgive me,” she tells him, feeling tears prickle at her eyes.

“I forgive you, Hayley,” he says, moving one hand from her waist to cup her cheek, his thumb brushing along her jaw. “Of course, I forgive you.” Briefly, her eyes flutter closed and she tilts her head slightly and presses a soft kiss against the back of his hand.

“But, you’re right. We do need to talk. And, we will. But, I- Hope triggered her wolf curse, and I need to be there for her. So, we’ll have to talk later, alright?” she curls her lips into a soft, tentative smile and Elijah nods in answer.

“Of course. Do what you need to do, you know I’ll always be here for you. And, I’ll wait,” he tells her, his own lips stretching out into a small smile. And then, he leans forward and brushes his lips against hers, warm and soft, pressing a tender kiss to her lips. Hayley returns the kiss, slowly, gently before reluctantly pulling away. They share one more long look before she pulls away from his arms and moves in the direction of her daughter’s room.

Her daughter is sitting on her bed, still wearing leggings and a sweater, her hair swept over her shoulder.

“Hey, mom,” she says softly, and Hayley can see that Hope’s eyes are filled with tears.

“Hey, sweetie,” she greets her, sitting on the bed beside her. [She’d told her about Lisina, and Hope, still shocked after what had happened at St. Anne’s had simply thrown herself in her arms, and Hayley had held her for a few minutes, murmuring soothing words in her ear]. “We should get ready, the funeral should be soon,” she tells her sadly, reaching to fondle Hope’s cheek gently. “And, before we go, I want to show you something at the bayou,” she adds, pursing her lips. Hope nods.

“Okay,” she says softly, clearly still in shock.

“I’ll see you in a bit,” Hayley tells her.

With a sigh, she opens her closet and starts rummaging through it, searching for a black dress. [They hadn’t had a werewolf funeral in a while, not since Mary, but Hayley had kept a few black funeral-appropriate dresses just in case]. She finally pulls out a black number made of lace, with long sleeves and a wrap silhouette. After taking a quick shower, she puts the dress on and brushes her hair, tucking it behind her ear before pulling on a pair of knee high black boots and a black coat, keeping her makeup simple. Once she’s ready, she goes to find Hope, who is wearing a black dress with flowers etched on it, her hair in lose curls.

“You look beautiful, sweetie,” she tells her, not quite knowing what else to say. [This wasn’t part of the deal. How to take your daughter to a supernatural funeral 101]. Hope scoffs.

“We’re going to a funeral, mom,” she quips smartly, rolling her eyes.

“I know, baby girl, I know,” she mutters. Just then, there is a knock on the door, and they turn to find Klaus standing in the doorway, dressed in black himself.

“What are you doing here?” Hayley asks him, surprised.

“I heard Lisina was an ally. I wanted to pay my respects,” he tells them, and pauses, but when Hayley raises an eyebrow he continues, “and I wanted to be there for you two,” he admits. Hayley smiles fondly before getting up to join him. Hope follows suit.

The ride to the Bayou is silent, but the moment they reach the Bayou, it is all lit with light and Hayley can feel the rest of the wolves gathered together, waiting. [She hates that she isn’t a wolf anymore, hates that she is separate from them, that she can’t really be there for them]. As they walk towards the funeral site, Hayley hears Hope stop walking, and stops as well, turning to her daughter who has tears pooling in her eyes.

“Hope? Sweetie, what’s wrong?” she asks her worriedly, and glances over at Klaus. He nods at her and steps back, ready to continue walking without them.

“I shouldn’t be here, mom,” Hope whimpers softly. “Why am I here? I don’t deserve to be here… Henry- Henry… h- he died, and it was my fault. And, now Lisina. I shouldn’t be here,” Hope says, her voice shaking, tears clearly about to fall from her eyes.

“Hope, sweetheart, look at me,” Hayley tells her firmly. “I know you feel awful right now with everything that has happened, but you are a Crescent and you have every right to be here. You have to be here,” she tells her, cupping her cheek and wiping away the lone tear that had fallen.

“I just- I don’t just feel awful, mom. I am awful. I killed someone who didn’t deserve to die,” Hope lets out a soft sob, shaking her head. “I’m a murderer,” she mutters brokenly.

“No, Hope, that is not true,” Hayley says vehemently. “You are not a murderer. You just have the spirit of an evil witch inside you who made you need to lash out. Honestly, Emmett and his Nightwalkers deserved it. And, Bill was just in the wrong place at the wrong time, Hope. But, that doesn’t make you a murderer, okay? And, all the people here have triggered their wolf curses and they know exactly how you feel, okay? You are not awful, you just feel like that. I know you feel awful, but it’s not forever, okay? You’re going to be okay. Just take it one day at a time,” she tells her before pulling her in for a hug. Hope clings to her, sobbing brokenly, and then, Hayley feels another set of arms wrap around her and Hope, and when she looks up, she finds Klaus embracing the both of them.

“Your mother is right, sweetheart,” he tells Hope, his voice soft. “It is not forever. And, you will see light, even if the tunnel may seem very dark right now, you will see light at the end of it,” he tells her sadly.

They rest in the embrace for a while before finally pulling away and making their way towards the funeral sight. The wolves are gathered there, and they welcome Hope in their midst, while Hayley herself steps up in front of them to recite the eulogy she’d prepared in her head.

“Lisina was one of the most loyal people I knew. And, one of the kindest. She was a good Alpha, a good leader. She fought for what she believed in, and she took over when I couldn’t. She was caring and compassionate, and always willing to fight for her people. Sadly, she was taken from us too soon, but we are here to honor her. To continue to fight for what is right. I know many of you are aware my werewolf side was bound by a witch who was used by people who considered me an abomination. But, that doesn’t mean I won’t fight for all of you. I will always fight for you. Because I am your queen,” she tells them, and they erupt in a round of applause, many of them filled with emotion. Lisina’s body in the casket is lowered onto the water, and Hayley can feel a tear slide down her cheek. She watches Klaus wrap his arm around Hope as they watch her. “Goodbye, Lisina,” she mutters as she touches Lisina’s wrapped corpse with the torch, setting the boat caring her on fire. And then, she’s left watching her float away, her body burning.

“Dust to dust, ashes to ashes,” she mutters softly, but they all hear her.

“Dust to dust, ashes to ashes,” they repeat in unison.

* * *

She finds him in his study when she gets back from the Bayou, after saying goodnight to an exhausted Hope. He’s holding a tumbler of bourbon, though he makes no move take a sip, and she steps into the room without, causing him to look up from the fire.

“Hayley,” he says softly, his gaze warm.

“Hey,” she whispers before walking over to the couch he’d been sitting on and falling down on it. Slowly, she reaches for his glass and gently coaxes out of his hand before setting it on the table.

“Are you alright?” he asks her, turning to face her, reaching to cup her cheek with his hand, and she leans into the touch, taking comfort in the feel of his hand on her cheek.

“I’ve been better,” she sighs softly, attempting to smile, though she doesn’t succeed. Elijah rubs his thumb gently along her jaw.

“How’s Hope?”

“She’s… adjusting, I guess. I don- I don’t really know, I guess. I mean, on one hand she’s got it easier than me, no one is kicking her out or disowning her, but on the other hand… she’s also got it harder because of the Hollow inside her. And, she’s fifteen, Elijah. She’s- she’s not supposed to be going through this. And, as much as I’m glad we’re all back together, I wish she hadn’t- I wish she had waited. But, then I look at you, and I’ve missed you for seven years and I am so glad that- it makes me a terrible person for being glad that my daughter had to sacrifice her safety – her future – to give me what I’ve been wanting for the past seven years,” she says, and a lone tear slides down her cheek, but Elijah just wipes it away.

“It doesn’t make you a terrible person, Hayley. It makes you human. It’s not as if you asked Hope to do it. And, I believe her reasoning was simply that she wanted her father back, and she did what any of us would do. She made a sacrifice,” he tells her, his voice full of understanding, and Hayley can’t help but smile.

“I’ve missed you,” she tells him. “I have missed you so much, Elijah Mikaelson,” she repeats and he smirks.

“Have you now?” he asks, his tone lighter for once. “I have missed you too. Even if I didn’t know I was missing you, I was missing something. Someone,” he admits before leaning forward and brushing his lips against hers. Hayley brings up her free hand and rests it on the back of his neck as she kisses him back, her tongue licking his lower lip, asking for entrance. The kiss deepens, Elijah pulling her body closer to his as she wraps both her hands around his neck, her fingers threading his hair, her lips molded with his, their tongues tangled together. As his hands move to the zipper of her black dress, she stops, pulling away and she sees the look of hurt in his eyes, but she immediately shakes her head.

“That- that’s not what this means, Elijah. Please don’t think that I don’t- I want this, Elijah. You have no idea how much I want this… want you. But, we need to talk. And, if we start doing this, I don’t think this will turn into a quickie, so…” she trails off, winking at him, and he chuckles before sitting up. Hayley gets off of him, though she makes no move to put any distance between them, and they turn to each other. Gently, Elijah takes her hands in his, his thumbs rubbing over her knuckles as they both search for words, suddenly at a loss.

She’s the first to break the silence, never one to really beat around the bush, well except for the time she didn’t let him tell her how he felt before her wedding with Jackson.

“Apologizing isn’t the only thing we need to say to each other,” she finally says, and she sees him nod. “I’ll start with what happened in the pendant. Elijah, you must know that I- in my heart I forgave you almost immediately, but in my head I- I know I wasn’t very understanding. I was scared for a moment, I’ll admit. And, hurt. And, I- II lashed out. And, in my head I was thinking that Hope couldn’t see me be okay with it after what had happened, so I just… I pushed you away. And, that was wrong. I’m sorry. I don’t think- I don’t think I will ever be able to make up for what I said to you,” she hesitates, not really wanting to say the words, but knows she needs to, and she sees the hurt clear in his eyes as he remembers her words. “For telling you not to touch me. I know how much that hurt you. And, I am sorry for causing you that pain. I’m really sorry,” she tells him, her voice thick with emotion, tears prickling at her eyes. Elijah squeezes her hand gently.

“I forgive you, Hayley. I will not lie, it did hurt. Having the one person I thought would never be disgusted with me, the one person I thought would be on my side, the person who held me after I told you what happened with Marcel, the one person I ever truly let in, look at me the way you did… it did hurt. Tremendously. But, I also know that I hurt you in the pendant-” here, she cuts him off.

“You weren’t yourself, Elijah. And, I should have seen that. For that I am sorry,” she tells him, squeezing his hands.

“I know. I still feel guilty about it. I still- I am still angry at myself for it. For hurting you. For making you fear me… I- I saw the look in your eyes, Hayley… And, it- do you remember when my mother kidnapped me in order to persuade me to join her and Finn in a new body?” he asks her, and Hayley wonders what that has to do with it, though she nods. “Well, my mother opened the Pandora box that was the Red Door for the first time, and…” he pauses and looks away, refusing to meet her gaze. But, Hayley reaches to cup his cheek, coaxing him to look at her, to meet her gaze.

“Elijah, what is it?” she asks, searching his gaze, hoping to find her answer, but all she sees is anguish and tremendous pain, and she hates what this is doing to him. “Tell me, please,” she begs him, her voice soft.

“You. I saw you,” he finally admits, his voice breaking.

“What?”

“I saw you. Behind the Red Door. I- it was part of my mother’s mental torture, but- the thought of hurting you, of you being behind the Red Door- I could never quite forget it, so when I hurt you while you were trying to save me from myself…” he trails off, bowing his head.

“Elijah, what happened in the pendant wasn’t you. And, what Esther did to you… that was horrible… But, I’m not afraid of you, you should know that by now. Yes, the things behind the Red Door are horrible. Yes, you’ve done bad things in the past. So have I for the record. Yes, we’ve hurt each other. Yes, what happened in the pendant scared me then. But, that doesn’t make you a terrible person- it doesn’t make you evil. Because you do feel regret. I think, probably, more than anyone you feel the guilt for every terrible thing, every sacrifice, every time this family had to be put above all else. You’ve always felt guilty about the pain you’ve caused. And, it makes you human. It means you have feelings; that you know right and wrong. I told you before, you shouldn’t let your past define you,” she says, her hand still on his cheek, her thumb rubbing along his jaw as he looks deeply into her eyes, his own eyes glassy with tears, his jaw set. “You are good, Elijah. There is good in you. If there’s good in everyone, if it is possible for people who have done terrible, evil things to be redeemed, why can’t you?” He nods slowly and his lips curl into a tentative smile as he leans into her touch.

“This is why I love you, Hayley. Because you believe in me… because you’ve always believed there is good in me,” he pauses, tilting his head slightly to press a gentle kiss to her palm. “Even, when I didn’t believe it myself. Because you believe that I can be someone you deserve. I know that I am not a good man- that I am not the kind of man you deserve. You deserve better-” she cuts him off again, shaking her head.

“I’m no saint, Elijah. I have hurt people over the years. When I was looking for cures for all of you. After you separated and I took Hope to the Salvatore School and came back to build this city. I hurt people. In the name of peace, but still. Even before, even before I met you. I mean, I am- was a wolf,” she half-chuckles bitterly. “I didn’t trigger my wolf curse by being innocent. I killed someone. And, when I was in Mystic Falls, looking for my parents- for information on my parents, I wasn’t nice. I betrayed people. I killed people. Those twelve hybrids I killed for no real reason, without really getting anything- twelve of my own people… So, please don’t put me on a pedestal. We are who we are. And, yes, we could be better. But, I also deserve to be happy. So, do you. And, you make me happy,” she finishes, and Elijah’s lips curl into a genuine smile as a stray tear falls down his cheek and he rushes to wipe it away.

“If you’d let me finish, my love…” he trails off with a small chuckle. “I meant to say that I wish to be the man you deserve. And, I promise you that I will try as hard as I can to be the man you deserve. To make you happy. And, I am certainly not mistaken that I have broken your trust. That I must earn that trust back. And, I will. Because, believe me, Hayley Marshall, I would very much like to be by your side for a very long time,” he says and she can’t help but smile, tears prickling at her eyes. And then, she leans forward and closes the gap between them, brushing her lips against his. Elijah responds immediately, his lips parting and allowing her tongue to tangle with his while his hand moves to rest loosely on her waist, pulling her body a little closer to his as the kiss deepens, her hand still resting firmly on his cheek. It’s a lingering, deep sort of kiss, neither of them quite wanting to pull away, but Hayley eventually does, though she doesn’t move away from him, his hand still on her waist. Their noses brush against each other, their lips mere inches from each other before Hayley puts a little distance between them just so she can finish their long, overdue conversation. [Not that she thinks it’s really finished, but they’d talked about the things that had caused some of the worst pain, and Hayley honestly was ready to be with Elijah Mikaelson].

“I know I have to earn some of your trust back, too. I know I have to prove to you that I won’t run at the first sight of you sacrificing someone else to protect this family. That I won’t pull away if I’m scared. I know I do. I know that it will take a while before you’ll look at me and not see what happened in the pendant, or my reaction after it. But, I promise you that I will try like hell to prove it to you,” she tells him, gazing deeply into his eyes and Elijah nods. And then, Elijah presses his lips to her forehead before pulling her closer to him as she wraps both her hands around his neck, returning the embrace.

They rest in their embrace for a while, and eventually Hayley must have nodded off because the next time she opens her eyes she is in her own bed, still fully clothed and when she looks up she notices Elijah about to leave, but he turns to glance at her once more, his gaze fond.

“You should sleep,” he says, seeing her staring at him. And, without warning, she feels tears prickle at her eyes before a few tears fall down her cheeks. The moment Elijah takes notice, which is before Hayley can attempt to wipe the tears away, he is on the bed next to her, reaching for her, taking her in his arms. “Hey, hey, what’s wrong?” he asks worriedly, but tears just keep falling down her cheeks rapidly before she finally lets out a sob. “Hayley, what is it? What’s wrong?” Elijah continues to ask, clearly worried, but Hayley just sobs. “Hayley, please tell me what’s wrong, please,” he pleads with her, but she just continues to sob while trying to calm down, her breathing coming in short gasps.

“I just… I just…” she gasps, tears streaming down her face as she reaches for him, throwing her arms around his neck while he pulls her to him, his hands wrapped tightly around her body. “I just… I’ve missed you so much…” she manages to say between sobs, and Elijah becomes still at the revelation. “I’ve missed you so much, Elijah. So much it hurt…” And then, she lets out another sob, tucking her chin over Elijah’s shoulder as he continues to simply hold her while she cries.

“I’m sorry,” he murmurs softly in her ear. “I’m so sorry, Hayley… But, I’m here now. I’m here,” he whispers softly. “I’m here. I’m sorry for leaving you. I’m here. I’m here,” he continues to murmur softly in her ear, still holding her, his hands rubbing gently along her back. “I’m here.”

Eventually, her sobs subside and she simply whimpers softly while continues to hold her, running his hands along her back, still murmuring soothing words in her ear. Finally, she pulls away, though Elijah continues to hold her close. Gently, he lifts one hand to cup her cheek and uses his thumb to wipe away her tears.

“Forgive me,” he says softly, and she can see the anguish and guilt clear in his eyes. “I’m so sorry for leaving, Hayley. That is one thing I don’t think I could ever forgive myself for,” he says, his voice thick with emotion. Hayley’s not sure what to say, so she just nods before tilting her head slightly to press a chaste kiss to his hand.

“I know. I’ve just missed you, and I think…” she hesitates, not sure whether she should bring this up, but the look of emotion in Elijah’s eyes forces her to continue, “I think for a long time I- I pretended I didn’t miss you… that I was okay…” she admits sadly. “I kept telling myself that I’d be fine, that I could eventually move on. So, I pushed it away, and eventually I met Declan. But, I never stopped loving you and I never stopped missing you. And, I don’t think- I don’t think I realized quite how much, till now, how much I’d been missing you…” she admits, reaching for his hand and squeezing it.

“Oh, Hayley…” he whispers softly. “I’m so sorry,” he adds quietly, regret clear in his voice.

They sit in silence for a while before she shifts slightly, “we should probably sleep,” she mutters softly, and he nods before she gets up to get changed. Elijah himself doesn’t move, though he attempts to avert his gaze, unsuccessfully. Hayley smirks, a little amused, but when his breath hitches, she turns to him, wondering what is wrong. From the stricken and guilty look in his eyes, though, she can guess what had happened. [He’d seen her scar. The one that Greta had left when she’d cut off her crescent birthmark. Even with her supernatural healing abilities, it hadn’t fully healed. And, now he’d seen it, and Hayley knew what he felt, the horror. She felt it, too, when she looked in the mirror]. In two steps he’s in front of her, and he turns her around gently so she’s facing away from him before gently brushing his fingers over her shoulder blade. She shudders in response, and is kind of mad at herself for not being careful when undressing in front of him, not that she was ashamed, not really. [She’s not ashamed, not about that because she’d fought like hell, but seeing the devastated look in his eyes hurts her].

“Elijah…” she mutters a protest, but he doesn’t listen to her, instead staring at her shoulder blades. “This was Greta- it’s fine… I’m fine-”

“She hurt you. Because of me-”

“No, that had nothing to do with you, Elijah, please-” she pleads with him, moving out of his grip and grabbing a shawl she’d carelessly thrown on the armchair, covering herself.

“But, it did,” he says, his voice full of sorrow and when their gazes meet, Hayley sees that he’s crying. “It was because of me, Hayley. And, I cannot forgive myself for that,” he says, shuddering himself.

“What do you mean, Elijah- this was- this was Greta and her stupid vendetta against my kind- against Klaus! This wasn’t you!” she whisper-yells, her voice soft.

“I-” he cuts himself off, a look of anguish on his face, and Hayley inhales sharply, bracing herself. “Niklaus came to see me in France,” he finally admits, and Hayley’s breath hitches. He won’t even look at her, his gaze averted, as he continues, “and he begged me to help him save you. Told me who I was. Who you were. But, at that point I knew- a while ago, I’d started getting curious about the E.M. engraved on my handkerchief – Elijah Mikaelson – so I looked him – myself – up, which led to Marcel. Marcel told me the truth, and so I knew who I was supposed to be. Knew about the family – Niklaus, Rebekah, Kol – about Hope… you…” he trails off, his lip trembling. “So, when Niklaus came to see me in France to ask for my help to save you, I knew. And, I said no anyways,” he finally says and it feels like punch to her gut and Hayley’s own breath hitches as she continues to stare at Elijah who still won’t meet her gaze.

“Oh…” is all she can say, but this only causes Elijah more pain because he bows his head in shame. [If she’s being honest, Hayley’s not sure how to feel about it. Part of her feels sorry for Elijah, for the pain he is very clearly in. Part of her is upset by his actions, but at the same time she knows he wasn’t in his right mind. That, while he may have known who Elijah Mikaelson was, he didn’t remember actual, concrete memories, or the feelings attached to those memories, or the people. Like herself. He may have known that she was someone important to him, but he didn’t feel that love in the moment Klaus asked for his help. Which, now explains Klaus’ attitude with Elijah and Antoinette before Hope put them all in the chambre de chasse]. So, Hayley just steps towards him, slowly, carefully, as if she might scare him, and reaches for him. Elijah flinches at her touch, though he still won’t look at her, but she moves her hand from his shoulder to his cheek, and she cups his cheek firmly before lifting his head to meet her gaze, but he still _won’t_.

“Elijah, look at me,” she says softly, though firmly. When he doesn’t, she tries again. “Look. At. Me,” she says again, this time with more inflection in her voice, more firmness. “Please, look at me,” she pleads, more softly. And, finally he does. And, Hayley herself wants to cry at the look in his eyes. There is such emotional torture, such anguish that it physically hurts her to look into his eyes though she quashes it down. “Listen to me,” she says, her voice soft, though still resolved. “That wasn’t you-” she starts, but he cuts her off, ready to blame himself some more. This time she doesn’t let him, moving her thumb to rest it on his lips. “Shh, Elijah, for once don’t. Let me say this. Please.” He nods. “That wasn’t you. The man you were in France was not you. Yes, you may have known about who you were supposed to be. Yes, you may have known about Klaus, Rebekah and Kol. Hope. Me. But, you did not actually know us,” she says carefully, her voice measured though emotional. “You didn’t love us. You didn’t remember the actual memories that are behind that love. You didn’t remember that love. So, that was not you. Not the real you, anyways. Because I know the real you would have come to help Klaus. I know that. So, it’s okay. Same with what happened at the farmhouse. It was not the real you. I know that. And, deep down so do you. Please believe me, okay? I am not mad at you. Wh- what Greta did when she-” she has to cut herself off and take a deep breath before continuing, “what Greta did to me. What she almost did to Hope, was not because of you. It was because of hatred that was born a long time ago, hatred that divides vampires and werewolves, hatred towards my kind. Towards Klaus. And, she took it out on me. But, I survived. And, I’m here now. With you. And, I love you. I always have loved you and what you just told me won’t make me stop, okay?” Both of them have tears in their eyes when she finishes, and Hayley wipes the tears that had fallen down Elijah’s cheeks with her thumb.

“Please forgive me, Hayley. Please forgive me,” he whispers hoarsely, his voice shaking.

“I forgive you, Elijah. Of course I do,” she says, stroking his jaw gently.

“You are incredible, Hayley Marshall, did you know that? And, I love you. I don’t deserve you, but I cannot stop loving you, so I suppose I will have to try to be worthy of you for the rest of forever,” he finally says, his own voice thick with emotion.

“I love you, too,” she says simply. And then, she brings up her other hand and wraps it around his neck as he wraps his hands around her waist, pulling her close to him, his hands moving gently along her back as she presses her body closer to his and rests her chin on his shoulder. They stay in the embrace for a while until ever so gently Hayley pulls away. “Will you stay with me tonight?” At the reluctance in his gaze, she adds, “I want you to stay. Please, stay,” she pleads softly, and he nods.

“As you wish, my love,” he says softly before proceeding to slowly pull his suit jacket off and untying his tie. Hayley smirks. [God, she wants him, desperately so, but they’re both emotionally exhausted, and she needs him to hold her more than anything]. He doesn’t take his pants or shirt off though, but vamp-speeds to his room, and returns holding a pair of sweatpants. And then, he undoes his belt and unzips his pants before dropping them, and Hayley licks her lips as Elijah slowly unbuttons his shirt. Then, he looks up and sees the lustful look in her eyes, and smiles shyly.

“Do you? We haven’t, not since…” he trails off, blushing, and Hayley can’t help but laugh. “Glad I amuse you,” he quips.

“Of course I do,” she tells him in earnest. “And, you clearly do, too. But, we’re so emotionally drained tonight, and so much has happened… And, I just want you to hold me,” she tells him as he pulls on the sweatpants. “Tonight, I just want you to hold me.” Elijah nods as she pulls the duvet away before plopping onto the bed.

“Of course. Like I said, whatever you wish. But, Hayley, I hope you know that I plan on showing you how much I love you without using words,” he tells her as he joins her on the bed, reaching to fondle her cheek. “I need you,” he adds huskily.

“Oh, trust me, I need you, too. And, I promise, it will be worth the wait,” she tells him.

They reach for each other at once, and collapse in each other’s embrace, feet tangled together, bodies pressed against each other, Hayley’s head resting on Elijah’s chest.

“I love you,” he says softly and she chuckles against his skin.

“I love you, too, but let’s just go to sleep. It’s late,” she mutters softly, looking up at him briefly.

“I’m wide awake,” he quips before pressing a tender kiss to her forehead.

* * *

Hayley was off dealing with some vampire or wolf-related emergency. Elijah wasn’t sure; she was mostly working with Marcellus these days, but she also obviously cared for her pack, so she could be in the Bayou. Klaus had taken Hope on another father-daughter bonding expedition much to Hayley’s exasperation, but after he’d promised not to resort to violence, she’d let him. Freya was supposedly with Keelin, or Vincent, Elijah didn’t quite know. Josh was supposedly keeping an eye on the vampires, and on Declan, Hayley’s human ex-boyfriend who had been injured during Hope’s attack. [Not that Elijah liked to dwell much on it, but supposedly Declan was related to Camille O’Connell, so he understood why Marcellus and Josh felt the need to keep an eye out for him]. There was a brief peace in the Quarter with Emmett and the Nightwalkers vanquished, though Hope’s fate still hung over their heads. Everyone had started researching her condition, in particular his older sister who was more often than not locked in the tower, but at the moment Elijah was the only one in the compound, grimoires pilled all over his study. [Being alone these days was a rare thing, and Elijah enjoyed the relative quiet].

“Hey.” He looks up to find Marcel standing beside him, a large, leather-bound book under his arm, and it doesn’t take long to guess it was yet another grimoire.

“Marcellus,” he greets him, smirking slightly. “I see you have quite the collection,” he remarks, glancing over at the grimoire.

“Yeah, well, witches don’t hate me. This one is from some witch from the Marigny coven. Vincent said it might help,” he says, handing Elijah the grimoire.

“Vincent? He told me there was nothing to be done- he refused to help us,” he says, slightly puzzled, though he hadn’t been entirely surprised Vincent had refused to help him.

“He doesn’t like you,” Marcel retorts, though his tone is neutral. Elijah rolls his eyes. “He and I are good though, so when I asked…” he smirks.

“Ah, I see. Though I am not surprised. Well, thank you for bringing this,” he says, gesturing to the grimoire that had now been deposited alongside the others.

“Yup. Now, I gotta go help Josh, but keep in touch,” Marcel says, moving in the direction of the door.

“Not so fast, Marcellus. Now, I am sure that you did not come all this way just to give me a grimoire. So, what else did you want from me?” he asks, standing up. Marcel hesitates for a second before sighing, defeated, and Elijah joins him as he walks out into the courtyard.

“Okay, fine. There was something else,” he admits before finally turning to fully face him.

“And, what might that be, Marcellus?” he asks, only slightly intrigued. [He hopes it has nothing to do with the Nightwalkers, that none had escaped, that nothing will tear their attention away from Hope and saving her].

“I have something else to give you. Well, give back to you,” he starts to say, and Elijah motions for him to keep going, though his heart beats a little faster.

“And what would that be?” They’d stopped in the middle of the courtyard and are merely standing across from each other.

“Do you remember, seven years ago, before I compelled your memories away?” he asks, and Elijah’s breath hitches in his throat, and he nods, unable to speak. “You gave me something. For safe keeping. I kept that promise, Elijah. Only person I told was Rebekah-”

“Oh, Marcellus, for the love of-” he starts to protest, worried his little sister had told someone else. [She may have meant well, but his little sister had the tendency to stick her nose where it didn’t belong].

“Don’t worry, Bekah didn’t tell anyone,” Marcel retorts with an eye roll. _Didn’t tell her,_goes unsaid. And then, he shoves his hand in his pocket and produces a small, velvet square-shaped box which he hands to him, and Elijah freezes, his breath hitching once again in his throat. Still, he extends his hand and takes the box from Marcel.

“Marcellus…” he trails off, his fingers wrapping around the box.

“I’ve no idea what’s going on between the two of you right now. But, you asked me to keep it safe till you were back. So, here it is. The rest is up to you,” Marcel tells him, clapping him on the back before vamp-speeding out of the compound.

The moment Marcel is gone; Elijah slowly opens the box to reveal the ring inside it. Hayley’s engagement ring. He’d gotten it seven years ago when he was almost certain he’d marry her, before the pendant, before they’d hurt each other, before he’d decided to erase her from his memory, erase them.

And then, he hears footsteps and he looks up to find none other than Hayley walk in, so he quickly shoves the box in his own pocket before turning to her.

“Back so soon?” he asks softly, gazing at her fondly. But then, she stumbles slightly and he sees her try to steady herself, and within seconds he is at her side, reaching for her. “Hey, you alright?” he asks, his heart beating rapidly in his chest. She reaches for him, too, her hand grasping his arm. And then, she collapsed against him and Elijah feels as if the whole world had stopped. “Hayley! Hayley!” he calls for her as he sinks to the floor beside her. “Hayley!” Then, turning his attention elsewhere, he screams, “Marcel!”

The Enhanced Original vampire must not have been far because he’d heard him, and within seconds he is back in the courtyard, Josh in tow, and upon seeing Elijah cradle an unconscious Hayley he rushes towards them.

Vampires don’t stop breathing. Yet, in this moment, Elijah Mikaelson could not breathe, his heart still hammering in his chest as he held the woman he loves more than anything. “H- Hayley…” he manages to whispers softly, his voice hoarse.

“What happened?” Marcel asks as he crouches in front of them. “I mean, she’s a vampire- vampires don’t just collapse!” he snaps none too gently and Elijah flinches.

“I- II don’t- I don’t know…” he stutters, his own voice wavering, unrecognizable. “I don’t know- Hayley, Hayley, please… please… open your eyes,” he pleads, his hand cupping her cheek, trembling fingers caressing her jaw. “Hayley…” he mutters brokenly.

And then, her eyes flutter open, and Elijah gasps in a mixture between relief and debilitating fear, his voice trembling as he whispers, “Hayley?”

“Werewolf,” she says by way of explanation, and Elijah sucks in a deep, desperate breath. [Because Hayley was no longer a hybrid, therefore wolf bites did affect her. And, she was not an Original, so she could… he shook his head, pushing the thought away]. “I’m fine, though, I’ll be fine-” she starts to say, and she reaches for him, hand going to his cheek almost blindly, thumb rubbing along his jaw. “Elijah… I’ll be okay…” she murmurs softly, but Elijah shakes his head.

“Must have been a pretty nasty bite,” Marcel observes, but Elijah doesn’t respond. Instead, he just nods.

“Get Niklaus,” is all he says. “Get Niklaus right now,” he says, his voice firmer, louder. “Now!” he snaps when neither Marcel nor Josh move, probably from shock.

“Josh, you stay here,” Marcel hisses to the younger vampire. “Call Freya. I’m gonna find Klaus,” he tells him before vamp-speeding out of the courtyard.

For a second, nobody moves. Elijah is still holding Hayley, who is thankfully conscious, though clearly in pain. Josh merely stands there, not quite sure what to do. Then, Elijah picks Hayley up in his arms bridal-style and vamp-speeds to his room, Josh right behind him. Ever so gently, he lays her on the bed amid her protests of being fine. He rolls his eyes.

“Please, don’t-” he cuts himself off, swallowing thickly. “Please don’t strain yourself. Just rest, alright? Marcel will find Niklaus-” she cuts him off, her hand still clasping his arm.

“Or Hope,” she tells him. At his confused look, she continues, “Hope’s blood also cures werewolf bites. Though, Marcel used to keep a stash of Klaus’ blood-” she’s cut off by a shudder and he notices she’s sweating much more than before.

“Josh!” he calls out to the vampire, and Josh enters the room holding a basin of water and a wet cloth.

“Here, thought this might help,” he says with a shrug, moving in Hayley’s direction, but Elijah lets go of Hayley momentarily and takes both from the younger vampire. “Anything else?” he asks as Elijah sits on the side of his bed and wets the cloth. Hayley shivers and he sighs heavily.

“Have you contacted Freya?” Elijah asks, not quite looking up from Hayley as he lays the cloth on her forehead and tries to wipe away the sweat. Hayley’s body shakes, overtaken by shivers, and Elijah reaches to comfort her, or steady her, he’s not sure while trying to soak the cloth again. He feels helpless, and he’s never felt like this before, like there is nothing he can do, because he isn’t the cure. [He’d never really been jealous of his brother for being a hybrid, but he is in this moment. Because if he were a hybrid, he could cure Hayley, but as it is he can’t]. He glances at Josh as he puts the cloth on her forehead once again.

“Oh, um, she didn’t-” he cuts himself awkwardly at Elijah’s withering glare. “You know what? I’m gonna go… and, find her. Yup. I’m just gonna…” he trails off before vamp-speeding out of the room. Elijah returns his attention to Hayley just as she starts coughing, her skin pale and sweaty, her body shaking.

“Here, drink this,” he tells her, grabbing the glass that had somehow miraculously appeared on the nightstand. Josh. Hayley barely manages to take a few sips before being overtaken by yet another coughing fit, and all Elijah can do is reach to steady her, the wet cloth long forgotten. Except, the moment their skin touches, he’s transported in her mind. [Later, he would think that if he’d been more careful he would have anticipated the hallucinations, but it wouldn’t matter anymore].

_“Honestly, Rebekah, I still don’t get the reason for this shopping trip,” Hayley tells his sister. Soon enough, the surroundings become familiar, and he realizes Rebekah had whisked Hayley to New York._[Part of him is amused, though a little surprised, that the memory Hayley’s feverish mind conjures is a shopping trip with Rebekah in New York].

_“Well, come on, can’t I want some girl time? I can only stand Marcel for so long,” Rebekah quips, smirking. _

_“It’s hardly been very long, Bekah,” Hayley retorts with an eye roll. “You’d think we’d want some time off from each other,” she adds. Rebekah giggles as they continue walking on the streets of New York. It’s a beautiful, sunny day and Elijah takes comfort in watching Hayley and Rebekah spend time together. _

The memory is soon interrupted because Hayley has another coughing fit and she sits up, so he sits up along with her, suddenly hit with the realization of what is happening.

“Eli-” she starts to say but is cut off by another coughing fit, and he reaches once again for the glass of water. “Elijah…” she tries again, hissing his name as if in pain while trying to breathe deeply, except her breathing is raspy.

“Shh, Hayley, shh,” he tries to soothe her, though his own heart is beating rapidly in her chest. “It will be alright, love, Marcel is going to bring the cure soon,” he adds, trying to sound reassuring, though his voice wavers a little. [It had been a while since Marcel had left, and Elijah can’t help but fear they’ll be too late]. She coughs again, this time reaching for him, and he’s once again transported into the memory.

_“So, how are you holding up?” Rebekah asks softly as they sit at a nearby café on Fifth Avenue. _

_“Fine. Hope started school. She wears the necklace you gave her every day. She’s happy. She Astral projected to see Klaus the other day,” Hayley tells her, though it’s quite obvious this isn’t what Rebekah wanted to know. _

_“Oh, come on, Hayley,” she says, rolling her eyes. “You bloody well know that isn’t what I meant!” Rebekah exclaims. He sees Hayley’s shoulders slump and she sighs heavily before lifting her gaze to meet that of his sister’s. _

_“I don’t- I haven’t spoken to him yet. I mean, we’ve already said our goodbyes, but…” she trails off with a sigh. “I guess I’ve done some thinking since I dropped Hope over at the Salvatore School. A lot of thinking. So, I was…” she pauses and Elijah’s breath hitches in his throat, but before Hayley can finish her sentence, she’s cut off by Rebekah. _

_“Going to see him. I know.” And then, she produces a set of tickets from her purse and he sees the color practically drain from Hayley’s face. _

_“What the hell, Rebekah?” Hayley asks, pushing her chair back and getting up abruptly. “Are you- what the hell are you doing ambushing me? I- I lashed out, and I hurt him I know that, but… but I need to see him. He’s cut off from all of you, he needs to see someone. Kol has Davina. You have Marcel. Klaus has… whatever. He needs me. I won’t be gone long! What the hell is this- how did you get my tickets?” she rants and Elijah’s breath hitches upon hearing that she wanted to find him. _

_“Freya found them. Look, Hayley, I’m sorry, but I can explain-” she’s cut off by Hayley, her eyes gleaming with anger._

_“You had no right, Rebekah. No right!” Hayley yells in annoyance before storming off. Rebekah tosses a few notes on the table before getting up to follow Hayley. _

The memory is interrupted yet again by Hayley coughing and Elijah does his best to steady her, though he is shaking with fear because Marcel still wasn’t back, and they were running out of time. [He couldn’t lose her. Not after everything they’d been through].

“Shh, it’s alright, Hayley,” he says in an attempt to soothe her, but she just keeps dry-coughing and he attempts to give her some water. She shivers as her skin grows more and more sweaty and he decides to switch position, getting on the bed with her and taking her in his arms, pressing her shaking body to him. “Marcel will be here soon,” he adds, pressing a soft kiss to the top of her head and he feels her shudder against him, pressing herself closer to him, hands resting on his chest.

_The surroundings change, and Elijah soon realizes they’re in a park – Central Park, maybe – and Hayley is stalking away from Rebekah. _

_“Hayley, wait!” Rebekah calls out, but Hayley keeps walking. “You can’t go to him!” she tries, and this seems to get Hayley’s attention because she turns to face Rebekah, flashing her a glare. _

_“What?” she snaps, crossing her arms. “Why the hell not?”_

_“Because- Elijah, he, uh,” Rebekah struggles with how to say it, and Elijah has an inkling of what Rebekah is about to reveal, and his breath hitches as he watches Hayley stare at Rebekah, clearly perplexed. “H- hhe- according to Marcel, Elijah thought that he would be compelled to keep Klaus from succumbing to his worst instincts which would put Hope in danger, so h- he had Vincent perform a spell that would allow him to be compelled, and had Marcel erase his memories of us-”_

_“What?” Hayley asks, clearly shocked. “Is he crazy?” she demands and he can’t help but chuckle at her frustration. _

He feels Hayley shudder once again and he reaches for the wet cloth, still holding her.

“Rebekah,” she mutters, and he realize that she is hallucinating again, and he hates that there is nothing else he can do but wait.

_“Rebekah… don’t worry, it’ll be fine. I won’t tell him the truth about you guys. But, I need to see hi-” she cuts herself off at the look on Rebekah’s face. “What else?”_

_“I’m so sorry, Hayley. But, he forgot you, too,” Rebekah finally says and he sees a tear slide down Hayley’s cheek as she takes the information in. And then, she shakes her head. _

_“No- that’s not- n- no. No,” she says, her eyes glassy with tears. _“No, no, no, n- Elijah, no,” she whimpers softly, still muttering ‘no’, but now it’s no longer in the memory, and she’s shaking in his arms.

“Shh, Hayley, shh, it’s okay. I’m here. It’s okay,” he says softly to her, holding her tighter. “I’m right here, Hayley,” he murmurs, pressing a soft kiss to her hair.

He hears footsteps and he looks up to find Freya entering the room.

“Any word on Niklaus?” he asks, wondering, briefly, if his brother had somehow vanished off the face of the Earth.

“I did a locator spell. He’s in Mystic Falls,” she tells him and Elijah sighs. “Called Marcel, and he’s on his way now. How is she?” Freya asks, grabbing the basin and giving it to Josh, who had stationed himself in the doorway. Elijah doesn’t answer, not at first, unsure of what to say.

“I- I, uh, I don’t… I don’t know…” he trails off, his lips trembling, and he can feel tears prickle at his eyes. “I don’t know…”

“Marcel will bring Klaus, I promise. I’m sorry I took so long; I was just-” he cuts her off though, not really caring at this point. [All he cares about is Hayley being alive].

“It’s okay, you don’t have to explain. I just- I just can’t lose her, Freya. I can’t,” he says. “I love her. I need her. And, I can’t lose her,” he says, his voice shaking with emotion, and he feels a tear slide down his cheek. He reaches to wipe it away immediately, though Freya doesn’t say anything. She nods just as Josh returns with a new basin that Freya brings over to the nightstand, wetting the cloth before handing it to him.

“You won’t, brother,” Freya says softly. Elijah manages to nod, his attention returning to Hayley. The moment he lays the cloth on her forehead, he is once again transported in Hayley’s memory.

_“Y- yyou mean he chose to forget me?” Hayley asks, tears threatening to spill, her voice shaking as she stares at his sister in disbelief. They’re still in Central Park, the fall leaves coloring the landscape around them. “He told-” she cuts herself off and briefly shuts her eyes, trying to keep the tears from spilling over. _

_“I don’t-” Rebekah stops mid-explanation to step closer to Hayley who is frozen still, shaking her head. “I don’t know, Hayley, I-”_

_But, Hayley just lets out a soft whimper, shaking her head as a tear falls down her cheek, softly muttering, “no, no,” as Rebekah rushes to wrap her arms around her. At first, she fights her, but then she gives up, letting Rebekah hold her as she cries softly in her shoulder. And, Elijah’s heart breaks. _

“No! No! No, Elijah, no!” Hayley whimpers softly in his arms, and he pulls her closer, rubbing his hand across her back.

“Sh, Hayley, shh, I’m here,” he mutters softly, holding her tighter. “I’m right here. I’m not leaving you. I love you,” he adds, his voice thick with emotion.

“Guess it’s your turn now, huh?” she mutters, and he glances at her in surprise. [He’d thought, albeit briefly, that she had fully succumbed to the hallucinations, to relieving the moment she found out he had abandoned her]. “Now, you get to take care of a vampire with a temperature,” she adds, and he chuckles.

“It seems so,” he quips. [Though he is still gripped with fear that Niklaus might not make it in time]. “I’ll always take care of you, Hayley. Just hold on a little longer, Niklaus will be here soon. He has to,” he says softly, pressing anther kiss to the top of her head.

“Elijah?”

“Hmm?” he looks over to her.

“Promise me…”

“Hayley, please don’t… it’s not necessary,” he tells her, not wanting to hear it.

“No, please… If- if Klaus doesn’t make it back in time… promise me…” she shudders, and pauses, “promise me you’ll find love again. That you’ll be happy?” she asks him, looking at him, her deep hazel eyes shining and Elijah is at a loss for words, tears prickling at his eyes.

“No, no, no, Hayley… that’s not… I won’t. I love you,” he says, stumbling over his words as a tear finally falls down his cheek, and he reaches to wipe it away hastily. “I love you. There won’t be anyone else, Hayley,” he vows, and starts to cry unashamedly. Hayley reaches to cup his cheek in comfort, but her touch is barely there and her hand falls limply on his shoulder. She shuts her eyes briefly, and Elijah’s heart hammers in his chest, gripped with fear that he was losing her.

“Fuck,” he curses under his breath, causing Hayley to open her eyes, and he sighs heavily when her she gazes deeply into his eyes.

“Shh, I’m still here, Elijah. I’m okay,” she tries to reassure him, though Elijah’s heart still beats rapidly in his chest. He reaches to wipe away the tears on his cheeks, nodding absentmindedly before pressing a kiss to her hair. And then, he touches her shoulder in comfort, but she was reliving another memory, and he, too, was transported into it.

This time, Hayley was back at the Mikaelson compound, but his heart dropped when he realized that she was standing in the middle of his room.

_“Why, Elijah?” she wonders out loud as she stands in front of his dresser where he had several framed pictures. He notices that she’s holding one of them, the one of the two of them at the Strix’s Party, her in that exquisite red dress, his arms wrapped around her. Back when, for one night, he’d pretended she was his even though she wore another man’s ring on her finger. “Why would you do this?” she sighs, looking up at the ceiling, and he can see there are tears shining in her eyes. She runs her fingers across the photograph before setting it down. There are more photographs. A photo with his siblings during Christmas. One with him holding Hope when she was a baby. One with him and Hope after they’d all woken up. A photo of the two of them in the bayou. A photo of them with Hope. “Why?” The word falls from her lips in anguish and all Elijah wants to do is wrap his arm around her and comfort her, but he knows it is just a memory, so he pulls Hayley’s shaking body closer. And then, Hayley picks up a photo of the two of them not long after they’d woken up, before the Hollow had infiltrated their lives. They looked so happy; the photo captured them gazing in each other’s eyes, his hands on her waist, her hands around his neck. _

_“How could you do this?” she asks softly, her voice thick with emotion, almost breaking. And then, Hayley drops the photograph to the ground, and it lands with a crash but she makes no move to pick it up. She picks up another one. The one from the Strix ball, and throws it to the ground as well. And, another. And, another. And, each time, she lets out a soft whimper as she does so. “Was I not- was I not worth anything to you?” she yells, though her voice wavering. And then, she throws down another picture of the two of them and Elijah’s heart breaks. _

_“How dare you?” she yells, turning to some of his other belongings before rushing at them and throwing them to the floor, letting out a rage-induced cry. She leaves nothing unturned. As she cries, she continues to throw things on the floor without caring and Elijah hates himself for putting her through this. _

_She turns her attention to his chair then, and Elijah’s heart sinks when she notices it. His shirt. He’d probably thrown it there carelessly – he hadn’t exactly been in the right mind after what had happened in the pendant, and he’d just tossed it there even though he usually kept his room tidy – and Hayley moves slowly towards it. She picks it up and lets out a soft whimper as she sniffs it before pressing her face to it as she starts to cry and Elijah’s heart breaks as he watches her sink to the floor, her back resting against his – their – bed, the photographs he kept on his dresser in pieces on the floor. _

_“Why?” she sobs brokenly. “Why would you- why would you leave me like that? Did I-” she cuts herself off with another sob, and Elijah feels like a knife had been twisted in his chest, “did I not mean anything to you? Was I not worth a fucking explanation?” she yells, still holding his shirt to her chest before letting out another anguished sob. _

“Hayley, shh, Hayley,” he says, forcing himself out of the memory. “Shh, sweetheart, shh,” he mutters against her hair as he presses her shuddering, sweaty body closer.

“Elijah…” she croaks weakly, and he turns to face her.

“Don’t,” he whispers, shaking his head. “Please don’t strain yourself. They’ll be here soon,” he tells her, taking her hand in his and pressing his lips to the back of her hand.

“I’m-” she cuts herself off with a cough and he tries his best to help her, but he feels hopeless because there is nothing he can actually do to ease her pain. “I’m sorry you saw that, I-” she says before coughing again and shuddering.

“Don’t,” he mutters sadly, kissing her hair. “Please don’t, Hayley,” he adds, holding her tighter. And, he is once again transported in her memory, and his heart breaks at the sigh.

_She’s still in his room, sobbing, still holding his shirt, his belonging scattered around her, but this time she is not alone. This time, Freya is in the room with her, trying to comfort Hayley, but Hayley is inconsolable. _

_Freya attempts to pry his shirt from her hands, but Hayley doesn’t let her, clinging to it like it’s her lifeline. _

_“I just-” Hayley starts, her voice shaking before cutting herself off and hiccupping. “I just- I miss him and now he is really gone. He’s just gone. I don’t- I can’t- he chose this, Freya. He chose this! Why would he do this? Why would he leave me like that?” she says, and whimpers as Freya wraps her arms around her. “I hurt him. I know that. I was a bitch to him- I told him not to touch me- God, Freya, the look on his face-” she bursts into tears once again and Elijah’s heart breaks watching her, and he hates himself for hurting her like that. _

_“I’m so sorry, Hayley,” Freya says softly as she continues to hug an inconsolable Hayley. “I’m so sorry,” she repeats. _

_“I mean, wh- why would he? Why would he want to remember me after how much I h- hurt him?” Hayley sobs and Elijah’s breath hitches in his throat. “But, I just- I want him back. I hurt him, and I miss him already, and I want him back,” she whimpers, clinging to Freya. “I want him back,” she repeats. _

“Elijah…” Hayley whimpers in his arms, and he turns to her.

“What is it?” he asks, rubbing his hand along her back.

“Elijah…” she whimpers again and he tightens his hold on her.

“I’m here, Hayley, I’m here. I’m not going anywhere. I’m here,” he promises, kissing her head.

A whoosh makes him turn and he finds his brother standing in front of him, a worried look on his face. And, right behind his brother is a terrified Hope.

“Mom? Mom!” she yells, moving forward, towards the bed, tears shining in her eyes, but before she can, Marcel grabs for her. “Mom! Mom! Let me go, Marcel, let me go! Let go of me!” Hope cries in anguish, and part of Elijah wishes to go to her, to comfort her, but the rational part of him knows that she probably does not even want, or need, his comfort.

“Hope…” Hayley mutters softly as Marcel drags Hope out of the room. “Klaus… you came- what took you so long?” Elijah has to laugh at the sass clear in her voice.

“Of course I did, Little Wolf. Sorry I took so long,” he tells her regretfully, nodding slightly at Elijah. [Part of Elijah is angry and wishes very much to hit his younger brother, but the other part of him is simply relieved]. In two steps, Klaus is next to them, and the Original hybrid crouches as he bites his wrist before shoving it in front of Hayley, who takes it gratefully, sucking on it while Elijah holds her.

Finally, the color returns to her face and she no longer sweats, her body no longer shaking, and Elijah can finally breathe as she is healed. Neither of them moves though, both of them looking at Klaus, filled with gratitude.

“Thanks, Klaus,” Hayley tells him softly.

“Of course,” Klaus nods, laying a gentle hand on her shoulder in comfort before doing the same to Elijah. “I’ll leave you two alone,” he adds before he’s in the door, ready to leave.

“Niklaus,” Elijah calls out softly, still holding Hayley. Klaus turns to him. “Thank you, brother.”

“Of course.” And, with that, Klaus Mikaelson vanishes.

* * *

A knock on her door causes her to turn, and she finds Klaus standing there.

“All better, Little Wolf?” he asks her and she nods.

“Yeah. Unlike you, your blood works like a charm,” she smirks and he chuckles.

“I looked in on Hope. She was painting,” he remarks, and she nods. “My true heir,” he smirks. Hayley rolls her eyes.

“Yeah, I was with her earlier. She was pretty shaken up, but it’s fine now,” she tells him. “How was Mystic Falls?”

“Fine. I was trying to help Hope. We saw Caroline,” he tells her, and she doesn’t miss the fond look in his eyes at the mention of her best friend. There’s a pregnant pause before Klaus continues, “off to see my brother I take it?” Hayley nods, and Klaus continues, “don’t be too hard on him, Hayley. He’s hard on himself as it is, and he was absolutely wrecked today. For a thousand years, my brother has always been calm and collected at all times, but there were two other instances when he lost his that control,” Klaus reveals and she furrows her eyebrows in confusion. He steps closer to her. “May I?” She nods and he reaches to touch the side of her head as she opens her mind to him.

_She’s lying on a table in the Mikaelson compound, Klaus and Elijah standing worriedly over her, and the witch Genevieve chanting a spell. Klaus bites his wrist and reaches to feed her his blood, but nothing happens. _

_“She’s still not breathing,” Elijah says worriedly. “It’s not working,” he says before rushing towards the furniture and throwing a chair against the wall, letting out an anguished yell. _Hayley flinches slightly at the sight of him so clearly losing control and when Klaus pulls his hand away, she looks at him in surprise.

“Oh, don’t look so surprised. Elijah has adored you from the moment he met you, and when something happened to you- if something were to happen to you, he would lose it completely,” Klaus admits, and Hayley nods. [She’d known he loves her, but to have Klaus say it, and share that memory with her, it somehow changed things].

“You said twice, Klaus,” she says softly, almost bracing herself, and Klaus nods before reaching to cup the back of her head yet again.

_Elijah and Klaus are in the cemetery, and judging by the blood all over Elijah’s clothes and on his neck, Hayley realizes this was when she’d given birth to Hope. When they’d been attacked by the Guerrera werewolves and the witches. Elijah looked angry, though his eyes also held immense pain. They had clearly been arguing, Elijah looked on the verge of tears, and Hayley felt like she’d been stabbed, and the knife was being twisted in her chest. _

_“That was your fantasy, brother, not mine!” Klaus yells, though it’s clear he was just as affected by what had happened. _

_“NO!” Elijah screams, enraged, and Hayley almost flinches. “This was our hope. This was our family’s hope!” He starts to hyperventilate, and he stops to try to catch his breath. “And, now she is gone,” he says more softly, his lower lip quivering. “Do you understand? I let this person in? I let her in,” he tries to hold back his tears, but fails, and tears spill over his cheeks. “I don’t let people in. You knew this. You’ve taken her from me. I needed her, and you’ve broken me,” he says, his lower lip trembling, his voice shaking, tears streaming down his face. _

Hayley pulls away to find Klaus looking at her, a grave look on his face.

“Now you know,” Klaus says softly, and Hayley can only nod. “Now, you know how it would hurt him, how it would wreck him, to lose you. How much he needs you. Think about it, Hayley,” he urges her gently, but she furrows her eyebrows in confusion.

“What do you mean?” she asks softly, almost bracing herself for the answer.

“My brother has always been co-dependent. Why do you think he fought so hard to ‘fix’ me? Because he quite literally couldn’t live without me,” he tells her, a slight smirk tugging at the corners of his lips. “And then, you came along,” he continues, “and became one more person for him to depend on. One more person he couldn’t live without. It’s part of the reason – he’ll never admit it to you – he chose to forget you, too. Because he quite literally couldn’t live without you, or any of us, really,” Klaus tells her and Hayley realizes that it makes sense. [It explains a lot of Elijah’s behavior, and why he always fought so hard for this family. For her].

“Guess all that therapy time with Cami paid off, huh?” she quips when he finishes, looking over at him. Klaus smirks, nodding. “I never thought of it that way. I never even considered it to be honest,” she admits with a sigh.

“We’re all messed up. But, as Rebekah once said, we may be damaged, but we are not doomed,” Klaus tells her, reaching to pat her gently on her shoulder. “Least of all Elijah. He is certainly deserving of happiness. With you,” he finishes, smirking at her before whooshing out of the room, and Hayley’s mind is spinning. [Had Klaus just given them his blessing again? He’d done it before, but this felt different].

With a sigh, she decides to go look for Elijah, not wanting to put things off anymore. Ever since Klaus had cured her, Elijah had pulled her to him, pressing her body to his, they hadn’t exactly spoken. They’d simply held each other for a while before finally breaking apart, but neither of them had said anything. [Hayley’s mind was filled with thoughts, and part of her was worried that they might not be able to come back from what had happened, that no matter how much they loved each other, they wouldn’t be able to get past how much they’d hurt each other].

She finds him in his study, the fire in the fireplace roaring, a tumbler of bourbon in his hand. She knocks softly, and he looks up, and she can see that his eyes are glassy with unshed tears and his hair is messy, like he’d run his hands through it multiple times. [It’s not often that Elijah Mikaelson is less than perfectly dressed, and Hayley’s a little taken aback by it, though part of her finds his messy hair cute]. Neither of them say anything as she walks over to the couch and sits down, though she keeps a slight distance.

“How are you feeling?” he asks her softly, angling his body towards hers. She can see the concern etched on his face, and her breath hitches in her throat.

“Fine. All healed. Klaus’ cure worked like magic,” she smirks slightly. He nods. Silence settles between them, and Elijah reaches to take another sip of his drink. “Elijah, we should-” she starts to say, but he cuts her off.

“Talk. I know,” he sighs sadly. “Hayley,” he starts to say carefully, almost as if bracing himself, “I- when you said… why would you tell me to move on?” he finally asks her.

“That was a low blow, I know. I’m sorry, Elijah, I was just- I was hallucinating- the fever, I didn’t know what I was saying, I just-” she cuts herself off, bowing her head, but Elijah reaches to cup her cheek and lifts her head up, forcing her to meet his gaze, and it feels like a knife being twisted in her chest, seeing the pain in Elijah’s eyes, the tears ready to spill.

“You were scared, I know. I was terrified. Over a thousand years old, and I have never been- well, I have only been this terrified twice in my life. And, both times it was because you were in danger,” he admits, and Hayley reaches to take his free hand, lacing their fingers together, squeezing his hand lightly.

“I know. Klaus showed me,” she admits, rubbing her thumb over his knuckles, and she can hear his breath hitch in his throat. “I- I’d be just as wrecked if I lost you,” she tells him, her voice soft. “I have- when you died, and we didn’t know if the pendant worked- Klaus lost it, and I tried to keep it together for his sake, for Hope’s sake, but there was a part of me that was terrified Freya wouldn’t be able to bring you back,” she confesses, trying to force a smile, though she fails. “I- I have felt that fear, Elijah. When Marcel bit you, and before Freya figured out a way to keep you alive, there was a part of me that was terrified of losing you. Terrified that I wouldn’t get enough time with you. I have lost you. When you and the others were asleep for five years, sometimes I felt so alone, and I missed you so much,” she adds, and he smiles sadly. “I have lost you, Elijah, and I know what that feels like. But, to me, it just means that we are worth fighting for,” her lips curl into a small smile. “And, I did lose you – even for a little while – when you chose to forget me. Look, I’m sorry you saw the memories, that’s not how I- I wasn’t sure I wanted you to know, but if I did, that’s not how you were meant to find out,” she admits, and he nods in understanding. Silence settles between them, Hayley not knowing what to say, Elijah clearly trying to think of what to say, and she squeezes his hand once again lightly.

“I- Hayley I hurt you,” he finally says, and she can hear the pain and shame in his voice. “I hurt you so much when I- I didn’t think it would hurt you like that. I didn’t think you loved me enough for it to hurt you,” he finally admits, a lone tear sliding down his cheek. “After the pendant, part of me truly did think that- that your feelings might have changed.” She opens her mouth to say something, to tell him otherwise, but he stops her. “Please, don’t. I need- I need to say this, please,” he says, his voice trembling, tears pooling in his eyes. “And, the other part of me was… well, I was hurt,” he continues, and Hayley meets his gaze, and she hates the pain in his eyes. “I was hurt that the woman I loved was so horrified by my actions she- she did not want me to-” he cuts himself off, and tears spill from his eyes, and he bows his head as Hayley squeezes his hand. [Part of her itches to move closer to him, to cup his cheeks and wipe away his tears, to wrap her arms around him and hold him tightly, but the other part of her doesn’t want to push too much, is afraid he’ll revert into himself and pull away from her completely. They’re treading on thin ice as it is, and Hayley doesn’t want to lose him completely]. “To be there for her. To be at her side. To protect her,” he says, his voice thick with emotion, “to touch her,” he adds brokenly and Hayley can’t help but gasp as more tears fall down his face, and he cries unashamedly.

“Elijah…” she starts to say, but trails off, because, really, she doesn’t know what to say, how to fix this. Instead, she scoots closer to him, and squeezes his hand tightly, trying to comfort him.

“And, it hurt, Hayley. It hurt, and I just… I just wanted it not to hurt. I wanted the pain to stop. So, I told Marcel to compel me to forget you along with everyone else,” he finally says, reaching to wipe away his tears. “It was selfish, I know. And, it caused you tremendous pain when you found out. I know that, and I am sorry. And, I hope you can forgive me for that, though I do not deserve it,” he says before finally lifting his head and turning to meet her gaze. And, Hayley feels sucker punched when she sees the pain and self-blame so clear in his eyes. Slowly, she reaches to cup his cheek, and he leans into her touch as she rubs her thumb along his jaw. There’s a pregnant pause, silence settling between them yet again, neither of them saying anything. And, that’s kind of okay, because the comfort Hayley is offering is enough for Elijah. For now, it’s enough.

“You do deserve it, Elijah,” she tells him softly, wiping away the tears on his cheeks. “And, I forgave you already. For everything. Yes, you hurt me when you chose to forget me,” she admits softly, still rubbing her thumb along his jaw. “But, you did it because I hurt you. And, we’re going to keep going back and forth between who hurt who more, and the truth is, neither of us is gonna win. We hurt each other. A lot. But, we also love each other, and I have always loved you. I always will. Never doubt that,” she finishes, tears prickling at her own eyes. He nods.

“Have you- have you ever doubted my love for you, Hayley? Because I…” he trails off, sounding incredulous at the idea.

“I- I’ve always known you love me. Even if you took so damn long to tell me,” she half-chuckles before continuing, “but I guess… I guess there was a doubt when… I guess part of me thought that you no longer loved me enough to tell me. That something had changed, and I was no longer deserving of an explanation. That I had hurt you so much, you didn’t even want to see me,” she admits, her own voice quivering a little. He reaches to caress her arm, pulling her closer.

“Please, Hayley, please don’t cry,” he says softly when a lone tear slides down her cheek and he reaches to wipe it away. “I didn’t mean to make you cry. I just- I couldn’t face you. Because you were the one thing – the one person – that would have stopped me. Seeing you would have changed my mind. And, I was too,” he pauses and swallows thickly, “too set in my ways, too wrapped up in my head and my own anger at myself and pain after what happened in the pendant that I- I didn’t want to change my mind. It was selfish, I know. But, I truly thought it was best. And, I am sorry for hurting you. Truly. But, do not ever think that my feelings for you had changed after what happened in the pendant. I have always loved you. Please forgive me for making you ever doubt that. You were simply the only one who would have changed my mind and I was just being selfish not giving you an explanation. I hope you can forgive me for that. That you can forgive me for everything. For all the pain I have caused you. Because I don’t think I quite grasped how much abandoning you without an explanation hurt you. So, please forgive me, Hayley. Because I cannot forgive myself,” he finally says as another tear falls down his cheek and she wipes it away.

“I forgive you, Elijah. Of course, I forgive you. I love you. I always will,” she tells him softly, gently caressing his cheek.

“I love you, too,” he tells her, tilting his head to press a soft kiss to the back of her hand.

And then, they hear voices coming from the courtyard, and Hayley reaches to wipe away her own tears.

“It seems Rebekah is home,” Elijah says with a sigh and they pull away from each other, hastily scrambling in a more presentable position.

_“Where are Elijah and Hayley?” Rebekah asks downstairs. _

_“His study probably,” Klaus says. _

_“Oh?” _

_“I doubt they’re doing anything we shouldn’t interrupt. Hayley said they had a lot to talk about,” Klaus says softly. _

Hayley hears footsteps coming from upstairs and then somebody is running down the stairs before she hears Rebekah let out a soft yelp.

_“Hope! Sweetheart!” _Rebekah says, and Hayley assumed Hope had just joined the reunion.

_“Aunt Bekah!” Hope says, delighted. _

_“How are you feeling?”_

_“I feel fine. I’m glad you’re home, though,” Hope tells her before starting to babble on about needing a distraction from everything and Rebekah promises to take her shopping. _

_“Shall we go upstairs?” Klaus suggests. _Hayley can hear the footsteps grow louder as Elijah stands up, his eyes puffy, his hair disheveled.

“Forgive me, I’ll just be a moment,” he tells her. [Of course, he wouldn’t want his siblings to know that he’d been crying. She was the one person he had ever let see him like that, aside from when he recovered his memories and everyone had seen him break down as a thousand years’ worth of memories, good and bad, had rushed at him all at once].

“Of course,” she tells him just as he whooshes out of the room. And, bare seconds later, Rebekah, Klaus and Hope enter the study.

“Rebekah!” she greets her best friend cheerfully, standing up to hug her.

“Glad you’re alive, Hayley,” Rebekah tells her, smirking slightly. Hayley chuckles. Just then, they hear two other sets of footsteps in the courtyard before, minutes later, Freya and Keelin enter the room.

“Hey, everyone,” Freya tells them, slightly nervous.

“Oh, you’re back from your lover’s shack?” Klaus quips, and Hayley rolls her eyes. “Nice of you to join us,” he adds cynically.

“Nik, don’t be an arse,” Rebekah mutters just as Hayley’s eyes drift to Freya and Keelin, and she furrows her eyebrows as she feels like there is something different about them. And then, she notices the ring on Keelin’s finger.

“Oh my God! Freya! You did it!” she screams in excitement, and before anyone can comprehend what she was referring to, Hayley rushes at Freya, wrapping her into a tight hug. “Congratulations!” she yells cheerfully.

“Thanks, Hayley. Um, losing circulation here,” Freya croaks, and Hayley pulls away just as Rebekah launches herself at her sister while Hayley moves to pull Keelin into a hug.

“Congratulations!” she tells the wolf. “I’m so happy for you guys!”

“Thanks, Hayley,” Keelin says with a chuckle. After Hayley pulls away, Hope rushes to hug her aunt and soon-to-be Aunt Keelin, and Rebekah joins the hug. Klaus, too, steps closer, pulling his sister in for a hug.

“Congratulations, sister. You deserve it,” he tells her with a smile.

“I hope I’m not interrupting,” a voice says, and they all look up to find Elijah standing in the doorway. “Rebekah,” he greets her, and Rebekah rushes at him and pounces on him, and he barely manages to catch her without tumbling to the floor. They hug for a while before pulling away and stepping back into the study.

“She did not seem as excited to see me,” Klaus remarks dramatically.

“Shut up, Nik. Don’t be dramatic,” Rebekah says with an eyeroll. Hayley reaches to pull Hope to her, Hope returns the side hug.

“We’re getting married!” Freya announces, clearly ecstatic as she holds up Keelin’s hand, a sapphire ring on her finger.

“Congratulations,” Elijah says, smiling at them before letting go of Rebekah and pulling Freya in for a hug.

“Thanks, brother,” Freya tells him, returning the hug.

“Welcome to the family, Keelin,” he tells the wolf as Freya pulls away and Keelin walks over to him to hug him, though he’s clearly not expecting it, and it ends up being a slightly awkward half-hug. Freya chuckles as she watches them.

“Thank you,” Keelin says, smiling at them all as she returns to Freya’s side, wrapping her arms around her fiancée.

“Um, guys, we’re actually… well, we’re getting married tomorrow,” Freya blurts, and they all turn to her.

“What?” they ask in unison, clearly shocked.

“Yeah, we, uh, we thought… with everything that has happened… Ivy and Lisina dying, that we could celebrate something good…” she trails off shyly. “That our family could get together for a nice family gathering. We don’t want a fuss or anything-” Freya babbles on nervously, but is cut off by Rebekah, who looks delighted to the point where Hayley is becoming slightly worried.

“Well then,” Rebekah says, grinning mischievously, “we best get to planning,” she claps her hands together.

“And, I know just who to call,” Hayley adds, pulling out her phone, her finger already hovering over Caroline’s name. Klaus smirks.


	6. It's Not Easy to Let Go

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Mikaelsons' are preparing for Freya and Keelin's wedding, and Hayley has called wedding expert extraordinaire, Caroline Forbes. A conversation between Caroline, Rebekah and Hayley during Freya and Keelin's bachelorette party leads to some painful revelations for all three of them. Meanwhile, Elijah embarks on his apology tour to his siblings and niece. And, finally, a conversation between Hayley and Elijah reveals it's not so easy to move past the pain they've caused each other, but Hayley's trying.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one's a bit late, but I promise the next one will be up by the end of next week! Enjoy!

Within moments from Caroline’s arrival in New Orleans, she had managed to drag Hayley, Rebekah and the two brides-to-be to Russeau’s. [What was even more shocking was how Caroline had also managed to clear out the entire bar, gotten Josh to serve them an endless amount of drinks as well as a stripper].

“Was this really necessary, Caroline?” Hayley quips as she, Rebekah and the blonde are sitting at the bar while Keelin and Freya are moving to music, huddled together in each other’s arms, stumbling slightly before breaking into fits of giggles. They’re both wearing ‘bride’ sashes and little tiaras Caroline had somehow managed to grab on her way over.

“Of course it was!” Caroline exclaims, downing her fifth shot of tequila. “Everyone deserves a bachelorette party,” she adds, smirking over at Hayley. “Well, everyone who’s getting married,” she adds. “Besides, I’m living vicariously through them. I never really had a hen’s party myself. Unless you count drinking with Damon after he got Stefan flat-out drunk before our wedding,” she tells them.

“Oh,” Rebekah mutters. Hayley reaches over to rub her palm against Caroline’s shoulder in comfort.

"Yeah,” Caroline mutters with a sigh. “Elena, Bonnie and I did one for Jo. The twins’ biological mom,” she adds with a sad sigh.

“Well, I didn’t have a bachelorette party when I married Jack,” Hayley adds with a sigh. [Not that she would have wanted one. Her last wedding hadn’t exactly been a reason to celebrate, not since she was hurting the one person she loved the most while doing it].

“Unless you count the hot sex you had with Elijah at the Plantation,” Rebekah remarks, smirking as she downs a shot herself. Hayley glares at her. “Well, I can promise you we’ll throw you a good one when you get your arse down the aisle to marry Elijah,” she tells her, and Caroline nods in agreement.

“I doubt that’ll happen,” she mutters before downing another shot. “Elijah and I are… I don’t know what we are, but I don’t think I’ll be walking down the aisle any time soon,” she sighs heavily, glancing over at Keelin and Freya only to find them engaged in a very R-rated lip lock.

“Seriously? I thought you guys were going to talk and patch things up? Or, at least that’s what you told me when we last spoke on the phone. You guys are soulmates, you belong together!” Caroline exclaims, irritated, sounding almost as if her relationship issues with Elijah personally affect Caroline in some way. [Hayley knew that Caroline cared about her, and her happiness, but at the same time Caroline didn’t know everything about her relationship with Elijah. Sure, they’d become close over the years, but nobody knew everything about her relationship with Elijah].

“Yeah, well, it’s not as easy as just talking. I mean, we did talk. We talked a lot, and even talking was painful…” she trails off, resting her head on her hand. “I just- I just don’t know if we can move past all the pain we’ve caused each other, if we can come back from the dark whole our relationship is in… I mean, what if even soulmates have a breaking point?” she wonders, turning to Rebekah and Caroline. “What if even soulmates – people who are destined for each other – hurt each other so much that they can’t move past it? And, what if Elijah and I are at that point? I mean, we’ve hurt each other- caused each other so much pain that I…” she trails off, and blinks back a few tears. “That I don’t know if we can come back from it.”

There is concern etched on both Caroline and Rebekah’s expressions, and Hayley sees Josh set three shot glasses on the bar.

“On the house,” he whispers before busing himself with Freya and Keelin’s drinks.

The three vampires clink their glasses and down their shots.

“Unacceptable, Hayley,” Rebekah tells her, turning to face her. “There is no way, after all you two have endured, after everything you’ve both been through, that you two don’t end up together. That’s just impossible. I mean, what does that tell the rest of us? What would that teach your daughter? That there is no point in fighting for love?” Rebekah demands, and Hayley can’t help but stare back at her. “You two are the epitome of an epic love, and if after everything the two of you have been through, you don’t end up together because you’ve hurt each other too much, what’s the point of having an epic love? Why would any of us try?” she adds and Hayley feels sucker punched. [She has to admit, she’d never thought of it like that. It wasn’t that she didn’t believe Elijah was her soulmate, or that they didn’t share an epic love. She’d simply never considered that their love was the kind of love others so desperately wanted. Rebekah had always been a hopeless romantic, but Hayley had never considered the possibility that Rebekah could ever be jealous of the love she and Elijah shared. Besides, Rebekah’s own romance with Marcel had spanned centuries, and in Hayley’s book that was pretty epic. But, there was also the fact that Rebekah had pointed out the fact that she was setting an example for Hope. And, while Hayley wasn’t exactly thrilled with the idea of her not-so-little girl’s romantic future, she knew she wanted Hope to have at least one totally epic love. Like the love Hayley had with Elijah]. Before Hayley can respond to Rebekah, Caroline pipes up.

“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I agree with Rebekah. You and Elijah deserve to be happy after everything. I mean, I know you’ve forgiven each other already, so what is actually stopping you?” Caroline asks, glancing over at Hayley as they down another round of shots.

“I don’t… I don’t know…” she trails off. “Guess I’m just scared,” she says with a sigh before dawning the shot glass Josh had slid across the bar to her. [Hayley had lost count of how many shots she’d had, but at this point she didn’t even care]. “No, I’m actually terrified. I’m terrified I’ve pushed him away too much, that I’ve hurt him too much, that the trust we used to have in each other – the trust we both broke – will never be restored. I’m terrified that even though he loves me he won’t actually want to be with me,” she admits sadly and she can feel tears prickling at her eyes. It’s Caroline’s turn to reach over to her this time and pat her shoulder gently.

“That is ridiculous, Hayley. Utterly ridiculous,” Rebekah informs her seriously. “My brother has been in love with you since the moment he met you, why wouldn’t he want to be with you? Of course, he would. Look, I know it all seems very grim right now, but there is a future for the two of you. And, you deserve to have it. The two of you deserve it, Hayley. So, please put all of us out of our misery and tell my brother you want to be with him,” Rebekah finishes, her tone serious.

“Seriously, Hayley. You deserve this,” Caroline adds encouragingly.

“Okay, enough about me and Elijah,” she deflects, deciding to change the subject, though she has to admit that Rebekah’s words give her a new kind of encouragement. “What is up with you and Marcel?”

“Nothing,” Rebekah says, rolling her eyes. “Josh, be a dear and pull out some champagne. On me,” she tells the vampire. Turning to her and Caroline, she continues, “there’s nothing going on between me and Marcel. We had something, now it’s over,” she says dismissively.

“Oh, come on, Rebekah,” Hayley rolls her eyes. “Something that spanned centuries, that kind of love that never dies, not even with time, that’s not nothing. So, what happened?”

“He bloody proposed to me, that’s what happened!” Rebekah exclaims just as Josh hands them three glasses of champagne. Hayley glances over to find the stripper who had been entertaining the brides-to-be gone and Freya and Keelin nowhere in sight.

Josh sees the concerned look on her face, and mutters loud enough for the three vampires to hear, “bathroom.” Hayley rolls her eyes. So, while she, Rebekah and Caroline were talking about relationships, Keelin and Freya were probably having drunken sex in the bathroom.

“I thought that was what you wanted? Your own happily ever after, preferably with Marcel,” Caroline asks, confused.

“I- I do want that. But, Marcel… he’s comfortable with being a vampire. He loves it. He’s happy as a vampire,” she starts to say, causing the two of them to look at her in confusion, though part of Hayley is starting to realize what Rebekah was talking about.

“And you’re not?” Caroline prods gently.

“I- I suppose having been one for over a thousand years, I’ve gotten used to it. But, I’ve always longed for a normal, mortal life. A life with context and meaning. And, I’ve come to the realization that it’s never going to happen to me. So, why should Marcel be with me while I fester? Why should he be with me while I long for something else? I didn’t say no because I don’t love him. I said no to set him free,” she says sadly before taking a sip of her champagne.

“But, you’re not setting him free. Not if he loves you. Look, I’ve known supernaturals – vampires – who weren’t comfortable with who they were,” Caroline starts carefully, almost as if she was treading on thin ice. “With forever.”

“Elena Gilbert?” Rebekah asks incredulously.

“Yes, Elena Gilbert. And, Stefan. And, so many others. But, you have to realize that love trumps it all. Because, since your only option is to be a vampire, would you rather spend forever miserable, longing for a life you could have, not quite living the life you do have. Or, would you rather spend forever with the person you love?” Caroline asks and Rebekah seems to freeze. “Look, you and I weren’t always friends. And, I hardly know Marcel. But, I do know that the two of you love each other, and you deserve to be together and be happy. Sure, in a perfect world you could have both. Marcel and a normal, human life. But, we don’t live in a perfect world. We live in a world in which we hurt the people we love the most, while at the same time, we fight for them the hardest,” Caroline finishes, a small smile tugging at her lips.

“Damn it, Caroline. Must you be right?” Rebekah asks before standing up and stalking off to the bathroom.

Hayley sighs, takes a sip of the champagne, and turns to Caroline.

“And what’s stopping you?” she asks, and Caroline furrows her brows. Hayley raises one eyebrow suggestively, and Caroline shakes her head.

“Seriously? We’re gonna talk about Klaus now?” she asks, turning towards Hayley. “Because we talking about two Mikaelson love lives wasn’t enough, we have to add Klaus to the mix,” she adds, shaking her head vehemently.

“Oh, c’mon, Care. Humor me,” Hayley quips, smirking slightly.

“I don’t know, Hayley,” Caroline retorts, taking another sip. “Hey, Josh! Could you, uh, could you please get me a shot of tequila? I need something stronger than champagne for this particular conversation!”

Hayley takes a sip of her champagne before ordering a cocktail. “Caroline?” she prompts.

“What?” Hayley glances sideways at her.

“Nothing, I just- it’s been a while, Hales. A long time since Klaus and I last…” she trails off just as Josh sets their drinks on the table.

“I know. But, trust me, as someone who knows Klaus quite well by now, he still feels the same,” she tells Caroline, taking a sip of her drink. “And, I know you do too, so don’t even try to deny it,” she adds in a serious, no-bullshit tone.

“Fine. Yes. I do still feel the same way. But, that’s hardly any indication considering…” she trails off just as Rebekah returns.

“Well, I just sent our little lovebirds in taxi to a hotel. Wouldn’t want them to wake up the whole neighbourhood, would we?” she informs them cheerfully. “Now, considering what, Caroline?” she asks, turning to the blonde. 

“I have no idea,” Hayley quips, smirking at the blonde. “But, we were just talking about your brother,” she adds, winking at Care.

“Which one? I have no interest in Kol’s love life, we’ve talked about you and Elijah, Finn never had much of one, plus he’s dead. That leaves- oh, bloody hell, tell me you’re not still in love with Klaus?” Rebekah yells the last part. Caroline doesn’t say anything, so she continues, “I’m going to take your silence as yes. Well, as far as I know, he’s still single. And, fancies you, I’m sure,” Rebekah adds. “Nik’s always liked strong women,” she adds and Hayley glances over at her. “Like you.”

“Rebekah,” she mutters in a warning tone.

“Ugh. Seriously?” Caroline blurts, turning to stare at both of them. “Look, I’m not blind. I see the attraction – the thing between us that’s been there for so long. And, even though he was never the villain in my story, back then he did hurt my friends. He was a horrible person. And, he still does horrible, murderous things. Look, I’m not the same naïve baby vampire I was when I first met him. And, he’s not the same Big Bad Wolf either. But, we’ve both lost people we loved… people we thought we’d have so much more time with. And, I don’t think either of us is ready. I know I’m not. Because I know that if I give in, Klaus will be my last love and there will be no going back. So, I’m going to save myself the heartache and wait a while longer,” she tells them, downing another tequila shot.

“Is loss really the thing stopping you?” Hayley blurts out. “Look, I know you and Stefan loved each other. I know you married each other. I know all of that, Care. But, there is someone out there for you. Some with whom you have a very strong connection. And, I think he’s worth it. Trust me, I know the feeling. And, I know all that’s holding you back. But, he still cares about you, Care. And, you deserve to be happy,” Hayley tells her, thinking back to a conversation she’d once had with Klaus about Elijah.

Caroline ignores her, “yeah, well, maybe it wasn’t as written in the stars. Now, we should get going. We’ve got a wedding tomorrow – well, today – but that’s beside the point,” she announces, neither Hayley nor Rebekah find anything else left to do than follow Caroline out of Russeau’s and back to the compound.

* * *

Elijah’s not quite sure who is avoiding who, but it is clear that someone is doing the avoiding. [_Or, perhaps it is mutual, _he considers]. The entire Mikaelson household was currently engaged in organizing Freya and Keelin’s wedding, with Caroline Forbes having arrived in the wee hours of morning to a harried looking Hayley who was trying to calm down both brides and Rebekah who had gone over the top as was expected. Elijah himself had nothing to do in regards to the festivities, and part of him wasn’t even sure he would be attending, so he’d decided that it was as good a day as any for him to sort through his things, something he’d been putting off for a while to attend to more pressing matters. He was about to do that when two knocks on his door interrupted him, and he looked up to find Rebekah standing in his doorway.

“Rebekah,” he greets her.

“Hi,” she says, sounding almost shy, and Elijah’s a little taken aback by her tentative demeanor. [She’d never acted like this, never been apprehensive like this, certainly not around him, and it was truly unlike her].

“Is everything all right?” he asks, perplexed.

“What?” she asks innocently as she steps further into his room, and Elijah can’t help but roll his eyes. “Can’t a sister want to see her brother?”

“Of course,” he says, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips. He furrows his eyebrows because Rebekah was acting very much unlike herself, but he didn’t have to wonder for much longer because his sister informed him of the purpose of her dropping by his room.

“I expected an apology, you know,” she blurts out, and Elijah is a little taken aback. “I expected a phone call. But, you just came back without an explanation, and everyone seems to be fine with it – including Hayley – and we’re all supposed to accept that you’re just back-” she cuts herself off, pausing mid-rant with a huff and Elijah sighs.

“Oh…” he mutters, closing his eyes. “Rebekah, I-” he starts to say, to attempt to explain himself, but his sister cuts him off, fury clear in her eyes.

“Which, come to think of it, is to be expected from you, Elijah! It’s not like you gave us an explanation before you had Marcel wipe away your memories! There was no goodbye then! Not even Hayley got one, I found out from Marcel – the bloody idiot waited a week to tell me – and I had to tell Hayley! Do you know how that felt? That not only did my own brother choose to forget me and everyone else, but he also left me with the utterly impossible task of telling the woman who loves him that he had forgotten her as well?” she yells loudly, and Elijah wonders how many people had heard. [Judging by the fact that most of the inhabitants in the house were vampires with supernatural hearing, he can safely assume just about everyone did]. He pinches the bridge of his nose in frustration.

“Rebekah,” he starts to say, hoping to pause the conversation enough to close the door, but it is clearly hopeless because Rebekah doesn’t let him continue.

“And, she was planning to come see you, too. She had bought plane tickets and she was going to go see you and I had to stop her! I felt terrible about it! When I didn’t even know why you’d left- why you’d hurt her so badly! What? Did you not think about how much it would hurt her? How much it would hurt this entire family?” she yells, and at this point Elijah feels like interrupting her would not fare well for him, but he tries anyway.

“Rebekah, please, stop,” he asks her in a measured tone. But, Rebekah is having none of it.

“I had to watch Hayley pretend she was fine even though I knew she was hurting, and there wasn’t a damn thing I could do about it!” she yells, almost shrieking the last part.

“Rebekah!” he repeats, raising his voice slightly. This catches his sister’s attention, and she freezes, stopping her pacing, and turns to him.

“What?”

“Rebekah, the door, please,” he says, gesturing to the door she had left ajar and she sighs before vamp-speeding over to it and closing it. “Was that absolutely necessary? I’m sure the entire Quarter heard you,” he says with a sigh.

“Maybe it should have,” she retorts, glaring at him. There’s a pregnant pause, neither of them saying anything, both of them standing across from each other, Rebekah’s words ringing in Elijah’s ears as the memories Hayley had hallucinated in her feverish state the day before – the memories he had seen along with her – play in his mind on repeat, almost like a broken record.

“I’m sorry,” he finally says, sighing heavily. “I am truly sorry for what I put Hayley through, and we spoke about that yesterday. I know how much I’ve hurt her, Rebekah, trust me I know,” he says, sounding pained and Rebekah sighs softly. “I- I cannot take back the things I’ve done, but I can- I’m going to try to earn her trust and forgiveness…” he tells her and he can see that tiny bit of understanding in her gaze.

“She already forgave you, you bloody fool,” Rebekah snaps, rolling her eyes. “That’s not really the point, Elijah,” she adds, crossing her arms across her chest.

“It’s not?”

“I mean, don’t get me wrong, I am very angry at you for how much you hurt Hayley, who is basically my sister, but what about us? Your family? You’re a bloody idiot if you thought we wouldn’t miss you,” she tells him with a sigh, her voice softer now. “That it wouldn’t hurt knowing that you had forgotten us?” she adds more quietly. “I thought we meant more to you- I thought our vow meant more. So much for always and forever,” she mutters, clearly still angry.

“I know, and I am sorry, Rebekah. Truly, I am. But, I- I just couldn’t…” he pauses and sits down on his bed while Rebekah continues to stand, scowling at him. “I was hurt, too, you know… And, selfishly, part of me just wanted it not to hurt anymore, so I, uh, so I had Marcel wipe away my memories,” he admits.

“And, the other part?” Rebekah asks.

“The other part… when faced with the certainty of being apart from all of you for who knows how long, I- I couldn’t…” he sighs and drops his chin to his chest, his voice thick with emotion. [He’d never been this honest with Rebekah – aside from the time he’d revealed what their mother had done to him when she’d kidnapped and tortured him – and the thought of his sister no longer seeing the same Elijah she’d grown accustomed to was daunting]. “I couldn’t face knowing that…” he says softly, and pauses, trying to gather his thoughts before continuing, “I couldn’t face being without you… you and Kol may be able to thrive without the rest of us, but I cannot. I quite literally can’t, Rebekah,” he admits, his voice shaking and he feels Rebekah sit down beside him. “I need you all as I cannot live by myself, so I just- I took the easy way out, and it was selfish I know, but…” he trails off, and blinks rapidly, trying to blink back the tears prickling at his eyes. “I couldn’t…”

“I get it, Elijah,” she tells him, sighing softly. “I get that, but why didn’t you even say goodbye? And, what about Hayley? Didn’t she deserve to know?” Rebekah wonders, her voice no longer holding that same angry inflection.

“I-” he cuts himself off, his throat closing, and he can feel tears prickling at his eyes. He drops his head in his hands and sighs before looking back at Rebekah. “I couldn’t say goodbye to her, Rebekah. Not after how much I hurt her, and also because I knew I wouldn’t have been able to go through with it if I did,” he huffs out a sigh.

“What about the rest of us? Your family?” she asks, and he can see her eyes are glassy with tears. “Come on, Elijah, we’re your family. We deserved a goodbye. We deserved not to feel like you didn’t care about us!” she snaps, her own voice filled with emotion, and he flinches, feeling like she’d slapped him.

“I didn’t think I could face any of you to tell you what had happened!” he yells, relinquishing his grip on his self-control briefly. “I couldn’t… I just couldn’t face any of you knowing I would have to be apart from all of you! Niklaus isn’t the only one who depends so much on this family- I do too, Rebekah…” he trails off, shutting his eyes briefly, and purses his lips, swallowing thickly. “I need you all, and when faced with not being able to be near any of you I just… I’m sorry,” he adds, his voice thick with emotion, and he feels Rebekah lay her hand on his shoulder in comfort. His shoulders slump in defeat and he lets out a heavy sigh.

“I’m so sorry, Elijah. But, why do I get the feeling there is more to it?” she prods.

“I hurt her, Rebekah. Hayley. I don’t- I don’t know how she could forgive me after everything because I cannot forgive myself… It’s not just- I hurt her, and I saw the look in her eyes when I- I didn’t know that we could ever come back from that… And, when faced with the reality of who knows how long without you, Niklaus, Freya, and even Kol, I couldn’t bear it without Hayley as well. Or, well, with the knowledge that she- she was disgusted by me. That I hurt her,” he says finally, and he feels like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. [He’d only told Niklaus the truth, and Hayley herself, but telling Rebekah somehow feels different]. And then, Rebekah wraps her arms around him and presses closer to him, tucking her chin over his shoulder like she used to when she was a child and had nightmares. Except, now it’s Rebekah who is doing the comforting and Elijah wraps his arms around her and lets her rub her hands across his back as he holds her tightly. They rest in the embrace for a few more seconds before finally pulling away, and Rebekah swipes her thumb underneath her eyes as she clears her throat nervously.

“Hayley wasn’t disgusted by you, Elijah,” she tells him, ignoring everything else. “She was hurt and she lashed out, you know. She was scared and pushing you away was easier, but don’t doubt that she ever stopped loving you. She never did. Fear makes you do stupid things, sometimes,” she tells him, and he nods. “It seems we all share the same trait of hurting those we love the most,” she adds with a sigh.

“Thank you, Rebekah,” he says softly.

“Well, someone had to talk some sense into you,” she quips, her lips curling into a slight smile. Elijah’s own lips curl into a smile in return.

“And, I am truly sorry. For everything,” he adds.

“It’s okay, Elijah,” she tells him before pressing a soft kiss to his cheek and standing up. “Oh, I almost forgot!” she exclaims before fishing inside her pocket and producing a set of two small keys.

“Rebekah…” his breath hitches in his throat.

“As promised, I decorated it and got it ready for you and Hayley. And, I looked after it once Marcel told me about what you asked him to do,” she tells him and sets he keys in his hand. “I hope the two of you get to enjoy it,” she adds.

“Me too, Rebekah. Thank you,” he tells her, overcome with emotion. “Thank you for this.”

“What are sisters for? Now, speaking of sisters, I’m off to help with our sister’s wedding,” she tells him, smirking slightly.

“Rebekah, I do hope you haven’t…” he quips in amusement, gesturing between them and she rolls her eyes.

“We have Caroline for that. Klaus is off doing nefarious things to secure the venue,” she tells him, smirking. “I’m in charge of helping Freya pick her dress. Hayley’s with Keelin at the moment.”

“Wonderful,” Elijah mutters drily. “Well, I best be off, too, I’ve got my own apology tour to make,” he adds. Rebekah claps him softly on the shoulder before vamp-speeding out of the room. Elijah, too, stands up and makes his way out of the room.

* * *

He finds Kol and Davina in one of the spare rooms, and he knocks gently on the door frame, alerting them of his presence. They were in deep conversation, and they both look up, clearly surprised.

“May I come in?” he asks, and at Kol’s nod, he enters the room. “Forgive me, Davina, but would you give us a few seconds? I’d like to talk to my brother,” he says softly, trying to brace himself.

“Uh, yeah, of course. I’ll go see how we’re doing on wedding preparations,” she says, her gaze flickering to his as well. [Elijah makes a note to seek her out at some point as well and apologize for what he’d done to her twelve years ago. He knows apologizing for murdering her won’t be quite so easy, but he’d try].

“Won’t be long, darling,” Kol says, and Elijah is a little surprised by the love so clear in his brother’s eyes as he looks at his wife. [He supposes he’d never paid much attention to Kol and Davina’s relationship, had never understood they were soulmates as much as he and Hayley were. He has to admit, he was slightly jealous that Kol had never stopped fighting for the woman he loves, that he’d never given up unlike himself]. Davina leaves, and Kol turns to him expectantly. “So, what is it, brother?” he asks him.

“Well, I- I wanted to apologize,” Elijah finally says, deciding not to beat around the bush. “For abandoning you, for being selfish and erasing my memories, for not being here for any of you… I- I’m sorry, Kol. I hope you can forgive me,” he finishes, feeling tears prickle at his eyes.

“Don’t worry, brother. It wasn’t as bad for me as it was for Nik, Rebekah, Hope and Hayley. Not to say I didn’t miss you. But, honestly I’ve always been the one who wanted to just go off and do my own thing, the black sheep who was content loving you all from a distance even before this whole Hollow mess. And, I guess I kind of understood what you did more than the others,” he sighs, and Elijah furrows his brows.

“How so?”

Kol seemed to hesitate, “honestly, Elijah. You all pretty much abandoned me a thousand years ago. This didn’t feel like much of a loss because you can’t lose what you never really had,” he finally said and Elijah felt like he’d been sucker punched. For several seconds, neither of them said anything as Elijah reeled from the slap of Kol’s words. [He was almost certain his brother hadn’t meant to be cruel, but Kol’s words hit him nonetheless].

“I’m sorry, Kol,” he finally says, doing his best to blink away the tears prickling at his eyes. “I’m sorry you felt abandoned all these years. You know it wasn’t intentional. I suppose, it was obvious to us as well that you could survive, and thrive on your own. The rest of us, especially Niklaus and myself couldn’t. Even Rebekah could,” he adds, and Kol chuckles.

“Nik is just too much of a control freak, and he couldn’t let her go,” he quips, smirking slightly, and Elijah rolls his eyes. [Leave it to Kol to make light of their conversation by using their brother].

“That is also part of the reason I did what I did,” he sighs, bracing himself. [Despite the fact that he’d spoken about this to Klaus and Rebekah, it didn’t make it easier to bring up again]. Kol opens his mouth to interrupt him, to likely tell him he didn’t have to explain, but Elijah keeps going. “I, too, depend on this family for my survival. In particular, Niklaus. And, Hayley. And, when faced with the reality of not being able to be with this family…” he hesitates, swallowing thickly before continuing, “I- I couldn’t bear it. So, I chose to forget,” he finishes. Kol purses his lips skeptically.

“C’mon, Elijah, I may go off on my own, but I’ve been a phone call away for seven years and I know that there was another reason. After all, there were many times Davina came back to New Orleans to stay with Hope when a certain she-wolf needed to get away. Plus, I was one of the few who knew she went to see you five years ago. She didn’t want to tell Nik since he was on one of his murder sprees, and she was scared he’d stop her. So, she told me and Davina. Rebekah found out on her own. So, just admit Hayley was as much the reason to have your memories compelled away as your co-dependency,” Kol says bluntly. Elijah sighs heavily in response, not surprised by his brother’s honesty.

“She was. Or, rather the pain we had caused each other was. I was hurt, and I wanted the pain to go away. And, I had hurt her so badly, I- I was ashamed and I hated myself for it, and believed it would be better for both of us if I were to disappear. I took the coward’s way out, and I regret it right now, but back then I saw no way out,” he admits with a sigh. Kol nods slowly in understanding before crossing the room to where Elijah was standing.

“You’re a bloody fool, Elijah. But, it’s alright. We should all be a little selfish sometimes,” he tells him before pulling him into a quick embrace. Elijah doesn’t expect it at first, but he hugs his brother back, clapping him lightly on the back.

“Thank you, Kol,” he tells him once they pull away. Kol just nods and Elijah turns around and exits the room.

* * *

Next, Elijah finds himself standing in front of Freya’s door, and he takes a deep breath, bracing himself. He knocks, and hears a soft ‘come in’ from the other side. He finds Rebekah and Freya inside, though once Rebekah sees him, she walks towards the door, nodding slightly at him and patting him gently on the shoulder as she passes him.

"Thank you,” he mutters, only loud enough for Rebekah to hear.

“Oh, Elijah, it’s you!” Freya exclaims, slightly breathless. [Clearly she’d been trying on dresses, and he smiles at the sight of her in a beautiful lacy number].

“I hope I’m not interrupting,” he starts softly.

“Not at all,” she replies, flashing him a quick smile. “I was just…” she gestures nervously to herself.

“I think you look lovely,” he tells her honestly. “I’m happy for you. Happy you found your happiness.”

“Thanks,” she smiles at him.

“I wanted to talk to you, well, I wanted to apologize to you,” he starts, taking in another deep breath.

“Apologize?” Freya asks, surprised. “What in the world for?”

“You’ve been very gracious and welcoming ever since my memories returned, Freya. Since I’ve been back. I, however, did abandon you, and I would like to apologize for that,” he tells her truthfully. Freya stares at him, but gestures for him to have a seat. “I did not think how my leaving would affect all of you, and I am sorry for all the pain I have caused you all. Niklaus and Rebekah have informed me of the fact, so I suppose I am apologizing to my family, and hoping you’ll forgive me,” he admits, looking away, not wanting his sister to see the pain he had been in. “I am truly sorry for abandoning all of you and I promise to do my best not to leave all of you ever again,” he adds sadly. Freya stares at him, a bit dumbfounded.

“Of course I forgive you, Elijah. I’d be a hypocrite not to. I mean, I did abandon you all myself – sure, I was a child then, but I did abandon you all – and you all took me back and accepted me as part of your family. I’d be hypocrite if I didn’t do the same. And, you’re my little brother, and you will always be my little brother, so of course I forgive you. Besides, you did it to protect Hope and the rest of us, so can we really blame you for it?” she asks him.

“I did it for selfish reasons, too, Freya. I did it because I was hurt… to keep myself from hurting, so it wasn’t entirely for selfless reasons,” he admits sadly.

“We all have to be a little selfish sometimes,” she retorts. “I mean, I should know. I was willing to put everything on hold to keep this family safe, including Keelin. And, it took almost losing her for me to realize that she is as much my family as the rest of you, and that my happiness with her is just as important, so I deserve to be a little selfish, too,” she counters, and he smiles. [Sometimes, he was a little struck by how much of a Mikaelson, how much like himself, his older sister was].

“I hurt her. By being selfish, I hurt her,” he mutters sadly, and they both know who he was referring to.

“I know. But, we seem to hurt those we love the most,” she tells him. “Look, Hayley and I have become really close the past seven years, and I know for a fact that she has forgiven you. Really, she forgave you seven years ago. As you know, she was going to come visit you, and Rebekah had to stop her. I didn’t have the heart to do it. And, I know you guys have talked about all your issues, and I hope this means that you’re both ready to be with each other. You deserve it. And, I for one,” she pauses and smiles, “am glad you’re back, brother.”

“Thank you, Freya,” he tells her, feeling tears prickling at the corners of his own eyes, touched by his sister’s kindness.

“I do have one favor to ask, though,” she adds.

“Please,” he gestures for her.

“Um, uh, well, everyone is involved with the wedding one way or another. Kol is officiating, Klaus is using nefarious ways to secure the venue. Hayley will be my maid of honor along with Rebekah. Vincent will be best man with Josh. And, I was hoping you would walk me down the aisle,” she tells him, and he stares at her in surprise when she tells him.

“Freya…”

“Please, would you? Um, Finn is gone, and you have accepted me as part of this family from the beginning, so…” she trails off nervously, and he can hear her heart hammer in her chest.

“Freya… of course, I would be honored,” he tells her, and he can’t help but smile at the exuberant smile on her face. And then, Freya launches herself in his arms, wrapping her arms around him, and he returns the embrace, chuckling as she squeals in excitement.

“Thank you, Elijah, thank you!” she exclaims cheerfully.

“Of course,” he tells her. They rest in the embrace for a few more seconds before pulling away, and they exchange a soft smile as Elijah moves towards the door. Before he leaves, he turns to face her. “You deserve this, Freya. I’ll see you soon,” he tells her and she beams at him.

* * *

He’d left her for last, mainly because he has absolutely no idea what to say to her, how to apologize to her, but he knows he can’t avoid it. Gently, he knocks on the door to his niece’s room, and he doesn’t recall a time he’d been so nervous.

“Come in!” she calls out, so he twists the doorknob and pushes the door open. Hope had just finished getting ready, and she turns to face him. “Oh! It’s you!” she exclaims, her expression a mixture of surprise and fake cheerfulness. [Elijah has to admit he’d expected the reaction to be similar to the one he’d received when he’d decided to join the family for breakfast the morning after his memories were returned. Though, he supposes that reaction had been more because of the Hollow’s influence on Hope].

“May I?” he asks, gesturing to her bed.

“Uh, yeah, yeah of course,” she mutters nervously as he takes a seat on her bed before she sits beside him, though she keeps a distance between them, and Elijah feels a pang of hurt. [One of his biggest regrets was that he no longer had a connection with his niece, that neither of them really knew each other, that she probably didn’t consider him to be as much a part of her family as she considered Kol, or even Marcel]. “What’s up?”

“I-” he cuts himself off, inhaling sharply, trying to brace himself before continuing, “I wanted to apologize, Hope. For abandoning you – this family – for leaving without a goodbye, without an explanation. For hurting you. I’m truly sorry and I hope you can forgive me,” he finally says, and he sees the surprised look on her face.

“Oh…” she trails off, as if she doesn’t know what to say either. “I, uh, um… well, I didn’t really- this might sound mean, but I guess I didn’t really miss you,” she finally says, and for the second, or third time that day – he’s not sure – he feels like the air had been knocked out of him. “I mean, I missed you as part of the family- I missed everyone, of course I did. But, I didn’t really miss _you_. Which is probably mean, but I just didn’t really know you. I mean, Aunt Freya put you guys in the magical sleep spell when I was two. I grew up just with mom. Then, you guys woke up, but you and I didn’t really spend much time together. Dad and I were making up for lost time, I guess. And, I mean it kind of bothered me because even Uncle Kol made an effort. But, I guess you got a pass ‘cause you were trying to save always and forever,” she tells him, and once again in the span of one day, Elijah feels sucker punched. “But, just because I didn’t miss you doesn’t mean I didn’t need you. Or, that I wasn’t angry at you for leaving us,” she adds honestly.

“Oh?”

“Yeah. And, I wasn’t even really mad for myself. I was mostly mad at you because of mom,” she tells him, and when he nods in understanding she continues, “I was a kid, but I wasn’t stupid, Elijah. I saw how hurt she was. I know that she used to cry in your room every night when I was at school. I know that when she told me she was going on a shopping trip five years ago she actually went to see you. And, now you’re back and I know there is nothing I can say that will stop the two of you from getting back together. I mean, nothing can stop two people who are destined for each other- which, don’t tell me you’re not,” she tells him, and Elijah just nods. “I mean, you and mom are each other’s epic love, and don’t get me wrong I am rooting for you, but you hurt her, Elijah. You hurt my mom, and that’s… that’s hard to get past. And, you also hurt this family. Because this family needed you. _I_needed you. I needed someone who knew dad to tell me not to give up on him. And, I don’t know, maybe if he hadn’t lost you so completely, he wouldn’t have gone on the rampage that made him cut me out of his life to begin with. I had just gotten him back, and lost him all over again, and somehow that was worse. I know that Aunt Freya says that at least part of that was him trying to protect you from enemies you wouldn’t know to look out for, but part of it was also my dad being Klaus Mikaelson because he was hurt. Which basically led to him shutting me out of his life, so that not only was I forbidden from being near him, I also had to lose him as well. Look, I may not have known you, I may not have missed you the way dad, or Aunt Rebekah, or Aunt Freya did, but I did need you. I needed you to tell me not to… not to give up on him because I spent so long being angry at him, I wasted so much time…” she trails off, near tears, and Elijah’s heart breaks at the sight. Though there is something that didn’t quite make sense, and he was confused by what Hope meant when she talked about Klaus shutting her out.

“Hope,” he says carefully, “what happened between you and your father?” he finally asks, and he sees her hesitate. “Show me, please,” he urges her when she seems reluctant, but after another moment of hesitation she finally lays her palm against his cheek.

_Hope is in her room, preparing for a spell. There is a small notebook decorated with flowers and stickers that says Hope’s Grimoire, and Elijah proudly watches as she sits at the center and lights up the candles before starting to chant slowly. He notices the spell in the grimoire is the one for an Astral Projection, and he realizes that Hope was going to see Klaus. _

_And then, she does. And, Elijah himself watches in horror along with Hope as Klaus rips someone’s heart out, blood dripping from his chin. _

_“Dad!” a horrified Hope screams, and Klaus turns to her, himself horrified as blood drips from his chin, and his hands are covered in it. _

“Hope,” he says softly, and she looks to meet his gaze as he clears his throat. “The reason I- your father was willing to do everything to save this family, to save you. Which, by his definition, means murder and mayhem. Your mother didn’t want the regular Mikaelson status quo to continue. Neither did I. I didn’t want him to have to do everything, and all that it entailed, to save this family – to save you – so I did. And, in order to do that – and protect your innocence – I kept my distance,” he confesses, and he feels like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. Hope stares at him in surprise and shock.

“Oh… I, uh, oh…” she trails off, clearly not sure what to say.

“You don’t have to say anything,” he reassures her. Elijah doesn’t expect what Hope does next, and he’s a little shell-shocked as she reaches to wrap her arms around him. And then, he hugs her back, holding her closer. “Forgive me, my darling niece. I didn’t mean to hurt you,” he whispers in her ears.

Hope doesn’t say anything at first, just clings to him. “It’s okay. I’m glad you’re back, though,” she tells him, and Elijah is touched by her compassion, by her kindness.

* * *

She hears the music first, a soft melody on the piano, and there is only one person she knows for a fact would be playing. And, sure enough, she finds him playing the piano in his study. For a few seconds, she stands and watches him, relishing in the sight of him so relaxed, so in tune with himself, so calm.

Eventually, he senses her presence and stops playing, instead looking up at her.

“Hayley?” he asks softly. 

“Hey,” she mutters shyly. Hayley crosses the room to stand beside him, and silence settles between them as Hayley tries to figure out what to say, and Elijah seems to be contemplating something. 

“Thought you were avoiding me,” he finally says, breaking the silence, and Hayley looks back at him.

“I could say the same,” she tells him, which is true, because she’d gotten the feeling when they’d passed by each other and he’d given her the cold shoulder. Elijah sighs heavily.

“I was busy,” he averts his gaze, and Hayley rolls her eyes,

“Me too. Freya’s getting married today,” she retorts, crossing her arms, though she still holds the letter in one hand. Elijah glances sideways at her, and it’s clear he doesn’t believe her for a second. “Okay, fine. Maybe I was. A little,” she admits, her gaze flickering over to his.

“Me too. A little. I just- I’ve just had a lot on my mind,” he sighs. “So, what have you been up to? Aside from wedding planning, of course,” he asks her, a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

“Oh, you know, just a lot of thinking…” she trails off, pursing her lips. Elijah nods, though it’s obvious he’s wondering what about. “And you? The Elijah Mikaelson apology tour? Rebekah told me,” she says with a shrug.

“Yeah… it seems… I suppose I didn’t know the pain I caused my siblings when I decided to have my memories wiped. The harm I caused Hope, even,” he admits, his voice shaking slightly, and Hayley’s a little surprised by the clear vulnerability. “Not to mention the pain I caused you,” he adds regretfully, and she bites her lip, glancing over at him, though she doesn’t meet his gaze.

“Elijah, please don’t,” she mutters. “We’re good. It’s- maybe not in the past, but we can move past it. Or, at least, I can,” she tells him, her voice barely above a breathy whisper. “I hope you can, too,” she adds.

“So, what have you been thinking about?” Elijah asks her, switching the subject instead.

Hayley doesn’t answer straight away, and takes a deep breath, bracing herself. “You,” the three-letter word falling from her lips in a barely-there whisper. “Us. I’ve been thinking that I want to move past all the pain we have caused each other. Elijah, I told you once I wanted to build a life with you. With Hope. And, I still do. I-” she’s about to say more when Elijah cuts her off, and Hayley flinches, bracing herself.

“Hayley, I… it’s not that I don’t want those things with you, still. God knows I do. It’s just that I don’t… I don’t think I can move past everything that has happened. And, I don’t think I deserve to. I’m sorry,” he says finally, and bows his head in shame, and Hayley feels sucker punched. She sighs heavily, and steps closer to him, reaching to cup his cheek, and Elijah reacts immediately to the touch, lifting his head to finally look at her. And, Hayley is shocked by the pain and longing so clear in his eyes.

“Elijah,” she says softly and sighs. “There’s probably nothing I can say right now that will change your mind. But, maybe if you read this, you might feel differently,” she tells him as she hands him the envelope.

“What is this?” he asks, looking over at her.

“It’s a letter I wrote you after I came to see you five years ago. I guess, it was my way of forgiving you and trying to move on, though I never could, you know… And, I don’t- I don’t know why I’m giving it to you really, but maybe if you read it… maybe you’ll be able to move past this…” she trails off, though the implication is clear in her words. Elijah nods slowly and takes the envelope from her. Then, he tilts his head sideways and presses a tender kiss to her palm.

“Thank you,” he says softly. Hayley’s lips stretch into a slow smile before, reluctantly, she pulls away and moves in the direction of the door only to bump into Rebekah, who looked pissed

“Rebekah?” Both her and Elijah ask the vampire in unison.

“Have either of you seen Marcel?” she asks them. Elijah shakes his head.

“No, why?”

“Because I might kill him,” she hisses without giving any other explanation.

“Try asking Davina,” Hayley suggests, trying to figure out what was going on, but Rebekah’s expression didn’t give the indication that she was hiding anything. Rebekah nods and turns around, storming away. 

“I’ll see you later,” she turns slightly to glance at Elijah before she exits the room herself, leaving Elijah alone with the letter and his thoughts.

* * *

Elijah wasn’t expecting it, so when Klaus marched into his study screaming bloody murder, he nearly fell out of his chair. [He’d been lost in thought, the letter Hayley, or, rather Andrea, had written him unopened on the desk, his mind spinning, and he certainly hadn’t expected Niklaus to march in].

“Niklaus, care to enlighten me as to why you look positively murderous this time?” he asks, trying to sound nonchalant, though he is worried. “Our sister is getting married after all,” he adds.

“You’re a bloody idiot, Elijah, that’s why!” Klaus snaps angrily, and Elijah can’t help the surprise he feels.

“You and Rebekah. Twice in one day. We must be setting a record,” he quips dryly.

“She forgave you! You bloody fool!” Klaus yells before throwing a book at him. Elijah catches it midair. “She forgave you!”

“Niklaus, now you’re worrying me. You truly sound mad,” he interjects, sitting up. “Yes, Hayley forgave me. Believe me, it is beyond me. I forgave her as well,” he informs Klaus. [It seems Klaus had become the main keeper of his and Hayley’s relationship, and Elijah doesn’t know if he should be infuriated, or amused, or both]. “We have not discussed our future, however,” he adds. “Now why exactly are you here?”

“To tell you how much of an idiot you are, of course!” Klaus exclaims, flashing Elijah an impish grin. “Somebody has to, anyways.”

“Ah, I see. Thank you. Much appreciated, brother,” Elijah quips. “Is there anything else?”

Klaus turns, suddenly, to face him, and growls, “if you hurt the mother of my child like that ever again I will find various ways to make you suffer, brother,” Klaus glares at him.

“Noted,” he mutters. At Klaus’ unimpressed look, he adds, “I won’t let her go. Niklaus, I am serious,” he says, and then proceeds to pull out the box with the ring from his drawer. “I don’t believe I can anymore.” Klaus stares at him, dumbfounded, and Elijah isn’t sure he’d ever seen his brother like that.

“Is that?”

“A ring, yes. I was planning to propose to her. Before everything. When I… when I asked Marcellus to compel my memories away, I gave him the ring for safe keeping. I don’t… I don’t know if I’m ready to forgive myself for what happened, for what I did to her, for how much I hurt her, but I want… I want a future with her, Niklaus,” he admits, his voice thick with emotion, and Klaus nods, clearly still in shock.

“You bloody fool,” he mutters before stalking off. Elijah lets out a heavy sigh before tucking the box back in his drawer and finally opening the letter.

_Dear Elijah, _

_I wanted to thank you for giving me a beautiful day just when I needed it. You helped me more than you can ever know. I realized that I’d been holding on to things that I shouldn’t. If I had met my ex under different circumstances, without the legacy of pain that haunted him, things would have been different for us. My time with you helped me to forgive him for the pain he caused me, and I can only hope he has forgiven me for the pain I caused him. And, though I can’t honestly say I’ll ever get over him, I- I can finally look forward, because of you. I’ll never forget my time in France. And, if by some chance we do meet again in another life, I’m gonna hold you to that dance. Until then, be happy. And, as you grow and find the parts of your life that fit you perfectly, make sure to never let them go. Because I know I’ll never let you go. _

_Andrea. _

He reads the letter once again, Hayley’s words remaining imprinted in his mind, and he knew what he was going to do. What he had to do. And, it involved making one promise to himself. To never let Hayley Marshall go.


	7. Promises

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On Freya and Keelin's wedding day, Rebekah makes a heartbreaking discovery that pushes her and Marcel closer, Klaus comforts Caroline, and Elijah finally makes good on a promise he made years ago.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally! Sorry for the delay, but life happened. And, then I had a bit of an issue, but here it is! Hope you enjoy! Kudos and comments are always appreciated!  
xx

Rebekah Mikaelson spins on her heel and stalks out of her brother’s study before striding to the bedroom Kol and Davina were staying in. [Freya was getting married, and Rebekah was off to deal with Marcel when she should’ve been helping with the wedding planning and preparations. She always did love a good wedding, but it seemed that the universe was trying to ruin her joy. First, Hope was in danger. Now, Marcel’s ominous comment about Vincent made Rebekah want to commit bloody murder].

She knocks on the door to the guest bedroom Davina and Kol were inhabiting, praying Kol wouldn’t be inside, before hearing a soft “come in.”

“It’s me, love,” Rebekah tells her, trying to sound like a nice sister-in-law, though she probably failed. By the look on Davina’s face, she definitely did.

“Rebekah? What’s wrong?” the young girl asks her, tucking one strand of her wavy hair behind her ear as she works on her makeup.

“I was hoping you might tell me where Marcel is. So that I might kill him,” she tells her, completely deadpan, flashing Davina a murderous Mikaelson smile.

“Um, what did he do?” Davina asks, cautiously, though she really shouldn’t be. [It’s not like Rebekah would actually kill Marcel. Or, that she could. The girl had to know better than that].

“Probably nothing, darling,” Kol quips, entering the room, smirking slightly. “They’ve probably just had a lover’s spat, and Bekah wants to put Marcel in his place-” he’s about to continue, but Rebekah cuts him off, flashing him an annoyed glare.

“Oh, shut up, Kol,” she mutters. Kol just laughs.

“Speaking of, dear sister, your lover is probably in the courtyard. Or, where the booze is,” Kol tells her ignoring her words.

“Right. You’re actually useful,” she mutters before spinning on her heel. “I’ll see the two of you later,” she adds as she struts out of the room. The door closes behind her, and Rebekah rolls her eyes as she walks in the direction of the dining room, using her vampire hearing to listen for Marcel.

Sure enough, she finds Marcel in the dining room, glass of bourbon in his hand. He looks up as soon as she walks into the room, and Rebekah crosses her arms.

“Pour me one, Marcel, and let’s talk,” she says, glaring at him.

“Rebekah,” he says softly as she marches over to him, crossing her arms. “You don’t usually like bourbon,” he says, his gaze flickering curiously to hers.

“I have a feeling it might be in order. So, pour me one, Marcel,” she says, practically hissing the last part. With a huff, he does, and hands her the glass.

“So, Bekah, what did you want to talk about?” Marcel asks, a slight smirk tugging at the corners of his lips, but Rebekah was in no mood for it.

“Don’t bullshit me, Marcel! What the hell did you mean when you said that Elijah’s decision was because of what Vincent said to him?” she demands, not beating around the bush. “And, just what did Vincent say to him, pray tell?”

“Nothing. It was just- doesn’t matter,” Marcel mutters, brushing it off, but Rebekah doesn’t believe him for a second. [She’s known him for centuries, loved him for most of that time. And, they’d lived together for the past seven years, Rebekah could practically read him like a book].

“Oh, come on, Marcel! You’re lying to me! I know you, I’ve known you for so long, I know when you’re lying and you’re lying now!” she yells, stepping closer to him. Marcel’s jaw is sat, and he doesn’t say anything, refusing to meet her gaze. Slowly, he stands up, moving to walk out, but she won’t let him. She can’t. Instead, she reaches for his wrist, gripping it painfully, breaking down the protective barriers to his mind.

“You’re a bloody coward, Marcel,” she whispers, and he freezes, and Rebekah is suddenly transported to Lafayette Cemetery, and she sees Vincent and Elijah, and her heartbeat quickens.

They’re in Laffayette Cemetery, the four Harvest girls on the ground after the ritual had been finished, and Rebekah’s stomach twists painfully.

_Elijah starts walking away, but Vincent turns and stops him, “Elijah, let me ask you a question. Do you remember what it’s like to be a human being?” _

_“Not really,” Elijah says softly, his voice sad. _

_“Cause you just put four little girls’ lives at risk,” Vincent presses angrily. _

_“I’m trying, Vincent,” Elijah sighs sadly, though she can see his shoulders slump in defeat. “I-” he starts to say, but cuts himself off. There’s pregnant pause before he continues, “now whatever happened tonight, we prevented the city from being destroyed-” he tries to argue, but this time it’s Vincent who cuts him off. _

_“What happens if what we did didn’t work tonight?” he counters angrily. Elijah scoffs. _

_“It did,” he retorts, his jaw set. “But now we have an ally against the Hollow,” he adds. _

_“Yeah, Elijah,” Vincent mutters and sniffles. “You’re an infection on my city,” he adds, and Rebekah can’t help but flinch at the harsh words. In the memory, she sees the way Elijah’s jaw is set and knows how it hits him, though he doesn’t show it. Instead, he just stands there, his expression devoid of emotion as Vincent tears into him. “You have absolutely no virtue and you have no value here, or wherever it is that you decide to drag yourself next. I feel sorry for the little girl that she’s got to be raised in a household with a punk like you,” he spits out the word, pure disgust and hatred in his eyes, and Rebekah grips Marcel’s arm tightly. “And, I’m going to be praying for her soul. Because I know you ain’t got one, Elijah,” he says his name in disdain before walking away, and Marcel yanks his arm from her grip before his gaze locks with hers. _

“Bloody hell,” Rebekah mutters softly before storming out of the room. Without even looking, she knows Marcel follows her until she stops in what is now her room since Hope lives in her old one. There’s a pile of her makeup on her dressing table, the first thing she touches, and she throws it to the floor angrily before turning around to find a few photographs on the dresser. Within seconds, the phtographs are on the floor as well, the glass shattered, and Rebekah lets out a loud scream before reaching for one of her books. This one she throws at the door just as Marcel comes in, and he catches it easily.

“Rebekah,” he says softly, but she pays him no mind, tossing another book in his direction. And, another one, aiming for the wall, followed by a few trinkets on her dresser that she smashes angrily. “Rebekah!” Marcel snaps, stepping towards her, and reaching for her arm, but she pulls away from him, screaming as she throws a pillow from her bed next. “Rebekah, please, stop,” Marcel tries again, but Rebekah doesn’t care as she tosses another pillow, imagining Vincent’s head ripped from his shoulders as she does. This time, Marcel doesn’t say anything, and instead waits patiently as she continues to throw her belongings to the floor, screaming as she does. Finally, once all her things are on the floor, most of them in pieces, she turns to face Marcel.

“Look, Bekah,” he starts, his voice soft, “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about this before. I just didn’t know how,” he admits, and Rebekah sees some truth in his dark brown eyes, though his apology doesn’t fix anything.

“How did you find out?” she asks instead, her lower lip quivering as tears prickle at her eyes. Marcel sighs heavily, and Rebekah glares as if daring him not to tell her, and finally speaks.

“When Vincent so readily agreed to taking away Elijah’s memories, I thought somethin’ wasn’t right. But, Elijah was adamant. I tried- well, I tried to convince him not to go through with it, but it didn’t help. He was probably spiraling by then. And, maybe I wasn’t tryin’ hard enough. Maybe a selfish part of me thought we’d be better off like this, without Elijah. But, I was wrong Bekah, because that is exactly what Vincent had made him believe. And, after Elijah gave me his ring for Hayley, for safe-keeping, there was nothing I could say to stop him,” he admits, and Rebekah gasps in shock.

“Go on,” she mutters, both of them standing mere inches from each other, both of them staring deeply into each other’s eyes.

“But, once we sent amnesiac Elijah away, I confronted Vincent about it. We had a fight and I got into his head. And, I saw. But, it was too late,” he says apologetically, and finally a tear slides down her cheek. Hastily she wipes it away, not wanting to cry in front of Marcel. Marcel gazes at her softly, and reaches to rub her arm gently.

“So, you’re telling me that… All the pain… All the pain he endured, the reason why he abandoned us, all the pain he caused Hayley when he left… It was because of what Vincent had said? And, he’d been keeping it inside, not telling anyone?” she gasps, her eyes glassy with tears. Marcel just nods sadly. [The rational part of her knows there was more to it, but it was a Mikaelson specialty to be _ir_rational].

“I know,” he mutters softly, because, really, there is nothing more he can really say.

“And, Vincent, like a bloody coward shut up about it all this time?” Again, Marcel nods, and finally tears start streaming down her face. And, finally, finally, she lets him reach to wrap his arms around her and pull her to him, not fighting him this time as he holds her tightly, and she starts to sob quietly.

“Shh,” Marcel mutters comfortingly in her ear, his hands rubbing along her back as she presses herself closer to him, her hands fisting his shirt, clinging to him. And then, the door to the room cracks open, and Rebekah turns around, wiping away her tears, only to find Caroline Forbes standing in front of her.

“Oh, it’s you,” she mutters, sniffling slightly.

“Who died?” Caroline asks, looking carefully at both of them. When neither of them says anything, the blonde repeats, “who died, Rebekah?”

Finally, she answers her, “no one died, Caroline. Relax. Everything’s fine. Did you need anything?”

“Well, why are you crying then? Look, my fiancé died on our wedding day! Tell me this wedding will have a happy ending, Rebekah!” Caroline yells at her, and Rebekah huffs. [Leave it to Caroline to bring Stefan Salvatore into the conversation].

“No one is bloody dying, Caroline! Not yet, at least. This wedding will have a happy ending, alright?” she snaps, and feels Marcel still beside her. Caroline furrows her brows, and sighs. Turning to Marcel, she adds, “can you give us a moment, please?” she whispers softly. He nods, reluctantly, gently touching her shoulder before walking out of the room.

There is silence for a few seconds, both her and Caroline just standing there, looking carefully at each other, before Caroline finally speaks up.

“What happened, Rebekah? Is it- is it Hope?” she asks, clearly still befuddled. Rebekah nods. Caroline purses her lips skeptically, and Rebekah sighs in defeat.

“And, it seems Vincent has had a hand in my family’s unhappiness for the past seven years,” she adds.

“Oh,” Caroline sighs, though she’s still confused. [But, Rebekah won’t tell Caroline before she tells Hayley, and she won’t tell Hayley yet, so she doesn’t elaborate]. Caroline seems to sense Rebekah’s hesitation, and drops it.

“Now, what is it that you wanted from me?” Rebekah asks, crossing her arms.

“Oh, um, Freya needs you,” she tells her. “I’m- I’m gonna go deal with the venue,” she adds before spinning on her heel and leaving. With a heavy sigh, Rebekah manages to collect herself and goes to fix her makeup and hide the fact that she’d been crying from her sister before exiting her room and walking towards Freya’s. As she passes by the room where Keelin and Hayley were picking Keelin’s dress, she hears the two talking, and she stops. [Eavesdropping on a private conversation may not be a good idea, but Rebekah wanted to be sure].

“You look gorgeous, Keelin. Freya won’t know what to do with herself,” Hayley tells her soon-to-be sister-in-law, and Rebekah smiles fondly. “You know, all these years, there were times I didn’t think you guys would actually make it down the aisle. But, here you are. Congrats, Keelin. You managed to burst down the invincible Freya Mikaelson’s walls,” Hayley chuckles.

“Yeah. Trust me, there were times I didn’t think we’d walk down the aisle myself. But, when I came for Lisina’s funeral, and everything that’s happened… I don’t know, guess I just figured that I didn’t want to let her go. She just got to the proposing part faster,” Keelin says, laughing.

“Yeah… Just takes a while for some of us…” she trails off sadly.

“You talkin’ about Elijah?”

“Yeah. I just- what’s it going to take for him to forgive himself and decide to be with me?” Hayley wonders, and Rebekah sighs sadly, the memory she’d seen in Marcel’s mind flashing in front of her eyes.

“He’ll come around, Hayley, I’m sure of it. You guys are soulmates, it will happen, trust me. Just don’t give up on him, okay?”

“Yeah…”

“Take it from someone who knows,” Keelin adds.

After a few seconds, Hayley speaks up, “well, Keelin, I think we found your dress.”

“Yeah, I think so, too,” Keelin says, and Rebekah can practically see her smile. “You know, I never thought I’d need a family so bad… not after, you know…” she trails off. “But, then, I met Freya and I just realized how important family is. And, she’s mine,” the werewolf says.

“Hey, I got you. You know you’re part of the Crescent family, right? Even if you’re a Malraux, we’re all still part of the seven wolf bloodlines,” Hayley tells her. “And, I totally get what you’re saying. I had been looking for my parents, needing to feel that connection with family, and in the end I found it here. When I found out I was pregnant with Hope. When I met the Mikaelsons… Rebekah, and Elijah, even Klaus…” she trails off, taking a deep breath. “You’ll see, this family is always and forever. And, wait till you two have a bunch of Little Mikaelsons running around,” Hayley adds, and Rebekah can’t help but smile despite the sadness the mention of children brings. Before the two can notice her, or even think about looking around, Rebekah vamp-speeds to Freya’s room, where she finds her sister in the middle of trying on another dress.

“Still at it, I see,” she mutters before walking over to Freya to help her with the zipper.

“Yeah, I just can’t seem to decide,” Freya chuckles. “You okay?”

“Yeah, just thinking,” she says, brushing Freya off. Freya nods.

“About Marcel, I’m guessing?” she asks her, a smile tugging at her lips. Rebekah scoffs out a laugh.

“So many times I dreamed of walking down the aisle, of marrying my Prince Charming. I have- I have dresses fit for every decade,” she laughs. “But, somehow, when marriage was just within my reach, I realized that I would never be truly happy. And, I didn’t want to drag Marcel into it. And now, I feel like maybe I was wrong. It’s probably just this whole wedding thing,” she says, instantly brushing it off.

“Are you gonna be okay?” Freya asks her softly.

“Yeah, I’ll be fine,” she mutters, smiling bravely at her sister. “Now, how are you doing?”

“Still trying on dresses,” she laughs before her sighing heavily. Rebekah immediately sense a mood change, and wonders what had happened.

“What’s wrong? Cold feet?”

“Nothing, just Vincent was going to be best man, but he said he can’t. Because of what happened with Ivy…” she trails off sadly. “And, I’m- I’m sad about that, of course I am, but it also kind of pisses me off, you know?” Rebekah tenses at the mere mention of his name, and part of her, a tiny angry part of her, is glad he won’t be in attendance. But, the other, bigger part of her, is upset for Freya since Vincent had practically become another brother over the past seven years.

“Well, it wouldn’t be a Mikaelson gathering without some drama,” she quips. “Wait till you and Keelin have children,” she adds, and Freya freezes.

“If we have kids,” she mutters, causing Rebekah to raise an eyebrow.

“If? Keelin doesn’t talk like it’s an ‘if’… I just overheard her and Hayley talking,” she tells her, furrowing her brows.

“We haven’t exactly had the conversation,” Freya admits.

“Oh. Well, don’t you think you should have the conversation before you walk down the aisle?” she asks her, emphasizing the ‘before’. Freya nods, the wheels clearly turning in her head.

“You’re right. I should. Help me get out of this one?” she gestures to the dress, and Rebekah nods before unzipping the dress and helping Freya out of it.

* * *

After a slight hitch, and a teary heart-to-heart with her soon-to-be wife, the wedding was going as planned, and for once Freya Mikaelson felt like there was some kind of justice for everything that had happened up to this point. She remembered her conversation with Rebekah, and most importantly, Rebekah’s words. _We may be damaged, but we are not doomed. Especially you. _Freya glanced around her, and realized that despite everything her family, her siblings, had gone through, they were all deserving of happiness. Kol had found Davina. Rebekah and Marcel continued their little centuries’ old dance around each other. Klaus was sneaking glances at Caroline, and the blonde – though she’d felt her share of loses – didn’t ignore the hybrid’s advances. Then, there were Hayley and Elijah. Theirs was the kind of love that had always inspired Freya, the kind of love that Freya was sure would never die. Despite all they’d done to each other, all the pain they’d caused one another, they still loved each other, and still tried to find their way back to each other. And, she thought of Keelin, who accepted and loved her, for who she was, despite all the baggage, despite how broken she was. 

“Alright, places everyone!” Caroline announces, and Freya can’t help but smile as Elijah joins her. Klaus had walked Keelin down the aisle to join Kol, and now it was her turn. Josh, who she had asked to be best man instead of Vincent stood there along with Hope, who had the rings. The music was playing softly, and at Caroline’s cue, Josh and Hope walked out, flashing her a smile. Hayley held a small bouquet as she joined Rebekah, wearing a dark red velvet dress with a sweetheart neckline and asymmetrical straps as well as a slight thigh slit. Glancing over at her brother, Freya smirked when he noticed his eyes roaming all over her best friend.

“You deserve this, Freya,” Rebekah tells her, handing her the bouquet. Beside her, Hayley smiles.

“She’s right. No one deserves this more than you,” the wolf adds. Freya can’t help but smile, and she feels tears prickle at her eyes before she pulls them both in for a hug. When they pull away, Caroline nods, smiling at them with a camera in her hand before she shoves the two friends towards the door. Rebekah loops her arm through Hayley’s, and as the music plays, they walk out. And, then it’s her turn.

“You got this Freya,” Caroline tells her encouragingly before walking out to go stand beside the others. Elijah turns to her, smiling.

“Ready?” he asks her softly.

“As I’ll ever be,” she grins. “Elijah?” she asks softly just as they’re about to walk down the aisle.

“Hmm?”

“Do me a favor and marry Hayley,” she quips as she loops her arm through his. Elijah looks surprised, and Freya can’t help but roll her eyes.

He clears his throat, “let’s get you married first, shall we?” The melody picks up rhythm, signaling their cue, and Freya feels a swarm of butterflies in her stomach.

“Preferably in this decade,” she adds, smirking. Elijah just shakes his head. And then, they walk out, and all she sees is Keelin. She can’t help but be surprised at Keelin’s change of attire, but she doesn’t mind as she looks at her beautiful soon-to-be wife. Her family is assembled on one side with Kol officiating, while Josh, Hayley and Davina are on Keelin’ side. After handing the bouquet back to Rebekah, Freya reaches to take Keelin’s hands in hers as Kol clears his throat, signaling the start of the ceremony.

“What happened to your dress?” she asks Keelin curiously. Keelin laughs softly.

“Are you kidding, girl?” she quips, smiling. “I’m not takin’ any chances,” she teases, and Freya laughs, too.

“Dearly beloved,” he starts, smiling, and Freya can’t help the excitement that bubbles inside her. “Now, not to make this all about me, but we all know how families work. Sometimes it’s dinner, and sometimes it’s daggers,” he says, and everyone laughs. “Now, I don’t know why it takes something as special as this to wake us up,” he continues, and Freya smiles. Behind Keelin, she notices that Hayley is looking past them, and it doesn’t take genius to guess who she’s looking at. Freya can’t help but wonder how many clothes her brother is wearing in whatever fantasy is playing through her best friend’s head. Kol continues, “to makes us aware of the beauty in the moment, during the moment, or to be grateful for what we have when we have it…” he pauses, and Freya notices the look on Hayley’s face had become wistful. “Now, I for one am grateful for today, and I’m grateful for all of you. Keelin, when I first met you, I would have never predicted that you would become my sister. Now, you’re strong and beautiful and deserve nothing, but the best in life,” he continues, but Freya zones out, her mind on Keelin, and the life they could have, the future filled with possibilities. Finally, she hears Kol clear his throat, and it was time for the vows.

“Freya Mikaelson, when I first met you, I didn’t think you would mean so much to me. Honestly, I didn’t really believe love even exists, either,” Keelin chuckles, and Freya can feel tears prickle at her eyes. “I was a loner, used to doing my own thing, pretending I wasn’t who I am. And then, I met you, and everything changed. You made me believe love was real, and I fell for you. And, I love you so much, Freya Mikaelson. And, I don’t regret a single moment of the time we’ve spent together. I’d do anything for you. I’d follow you anywhere. You made me believe in family, you make me want a family,” she continues, her own eyes glassy with tears, and Freya smiles encouragingly at her. “I wasn’t the type of girl to picture my future… wedding with the whole white dress and everything, but… but I see it all with you. When I’m with you, Freya, I can see my whole future… and, I want it all with you. No matter what, I want to be with you. I want to be by your side, I want to support you, I want to be your rock, I want us to be a team. And, I know that sounds so cheesy, but I don’t care because I love you,” Keelin finishes, and smiles at her. Freya beams through her tears, and squeezes her hands.

“Keelin,” she mutters, smiling warmly at her, “when I woke up from that slumber I only wanted to break free of Dahlia, find my family, and get rid of her. Nothing else mattered. When that happened, all I cared about was my family. I was willing to do anything… to die, for my family. And then, I met you. And, everything changed,” she admits, and Keelin’s breath hitches. “Suddenly, I had a reason to make it home. You. You are my reason. Suddenly, I was afraid to go battle whatever evil we were dealing with because I was afraid I would not be able to come back to you. I know it didn’t seem like it for the past seven years. I know that kept choosing my family over you over and over again because I was scared. But, I never want to make that choice, ever again. Because you are my family. You’re everything to me, Keelin,” she says softly, her eyes prickling with tears, and Keelin just smiles warmly at her, her own eyes glassy and filled with emotion. “I love you. I will always love you. And, I will always choose you. No matter what,” she finishes, her voice barely above a whisper.

Kol nods at Hope, who hands them the rings, and Keelin takes the first one.

“Do you, Keelin Malraux take Freya Mikaelson to be your lawfully wedded wife?” Kol asks, smirking slightly. Excitement bubbles inside Freya, in a giddy sort of way, and she beams at Keelin.

“I do,” Keelin says softly before sliding the ring onto her finger.

“And, do you, Freya take Keelin to be your lawfully wedded wife?”

She grins as she takes the dainty ring, “I do,” she whispers as she slides it onto Keelin’s finger.

Kol clears his throat, “now, by the power vested in me by a Franciscan monk in the 13thcentury, and by the internet a few hours ago, just to be on the safe side,” he chuckles, and everyone laughs. “I now pronounce you married. You may both kiss the bride,” he announces, and they smile at each other before she finally leans forward as Keelin reaches to cup her cheeks while Freya slides her arms around her wife. And then, Keelin’s lips are on hers, warm, and soft, and gentle and Freya kisses her back, any other thought leaving her mind. All she sees, feels, touches… all she can think about is Keelin as her family claps in the background, cheering happily. Somebody, probably, Klaus or Kol, whistles. Finally, they pull away once air becomes a necessity, though they still keep their arms firmly around each other.

“Welcome to the family, Keelin!” Rebekah exclaims cheerfully, coming over to hug her. Freya grins as Hayley comes to wrap her arms around her.

“Oh! I’m so glad you finally got your butt down the aisle!” the brunette exclaims, and she can’t help but chuckle.

“Oh, you guys,” Caroline says softly, her eyes slightly glassy with tears, “that was beautiful,” she sniffles, and before anyone can say or do anything, Klaus puts an arm around her while Elijah, always prepared, grabs his handkerchief from his front pocket, handing it to Klaus.

“There, there, now, love,” Klaus mutters, wiping at the corners of Caroline’s eyes. “It’s alright,” he mutters. Part of Freya feels bad for the blonde, but the other part of her is too happy, so she just smiles and pulls Keelin closer to her.

“Let’s get the party started, shall we?” Rebekah interrupts with a smile, and the others nod, following after her.

“We’ll be right behind you,” Klaus tells them, leading Caroline away, and Freya wonders what kind of comfort his about to give her. “Come on, love,” she hears him mutter to the blonde.

The strange thing is that no one questions it, or says anything about it. Freya herself wouldn’t mind anything more than friendly happening between her brother and the blonde.

* * *

She’s watching the rest of them, glass of champagne in her hand. Rebekah and Marcel are dancing, so are Freya and Keelin, and Kol and Davina. Even, Caroline and Klaus. [Caroline had asked him, and Klaus, suddenly at a loss for words, had simply taken the blonde vampire’s hand]. Hope is standing beside her, and Hayley can’t help but smile at how happy she’d seen her daughter be today, and her heart sinks at the thought of Hope having to go through the full moon, having to experience something like that so soon.

“Today was nice,” her daughter says beside her, and Hayley grins before turning to her.

“It was,” she agrees. “I’m glad you enjoyed it, sweetie,” Hayley tells her. When Hope moves to take another sip of champagne, Hayley adds, “be careful with that, Hope. You’re still underage. And, we may be a dysfunctional family, but we’re not that irresponsible,” she half-chuckles and Hope laughs. When she notices the thoughtful look on Hope’s face, she adds, “what is it? What are you thinking about?”

“Just that it was nice to be part of always and forever; you know? Of the whole Mikaelson thing…” she pauses, and Hayley looks at her curiously.

“You were always part of always and forever, Hope,” she tells her honestly.

“Your mother is right.” They turn simultaneously to find Elijah standing beside them, and Hayley can’t help but let her gaze drift over his impeccably-dressed figure, a fond smile tugging at the corners of her lips. “You’re our Hope,” he adds, smiling softly.

“I know, I know,” Hope says, shaking her head. “But, like, you guys have been with each other for a thousand years. You’ve had celebrations like this before- well, not weddings, but you know…” she trails off, and they nod in understanding. “But, this is a first for me. The first time I’m truly part of these precious moments, when always and forever is really always and forever, and I loved every second of it…” she pauses, and Elijah’s gaze softens, and Hayley has tears in her eyes. “And, I want more of it,” she says finally, sadly and Hayley’s heart breaks because nobody knows how long Hope will have always and forever. She feels Elijah’s fingers brush against her wrist in an attempt to comfort her without it being too much, though now she’d really like one of his hugs.

“Well, technically, not all of have been part of always and forever for as long as your dad, your aunt and uncle,” Hayley remarks in attempt to comfort Hope, but Hope just rolls her eyes.

“Hayley, you know you have been a part of always and forever ever since we, uh, all of us met you,” he says, pointedly trying to pretend he meant himself, Klaus and Rebekah. “Besides, always and forever has changed. It now includes, Freya. And, Keelin. Kol and Davina. Marcellus. You. Hope,” he tells them fondly and Hayley can’t help but smile.

“Your uncle is right,” she tells her daughter. “Always and forever isn’t exactly exclusive anymore,” she adds with a small smile. Then, she reaches for her daughter and they embrace, and Hayley basks in the feeling of holding her not-so-little girl in her arms. Hope, too, hugs her back tightly. Over Hope’s shoulder, Hayley glances at Elijah, and he flashes her a quick smile. Eventually they pull away, and just in time, too, because Josh comes up to them as a new slow song comes on and some of the others switch partners.

“Hey, kiddo,” he says, smirking at her and Elijah.

“Hey, Josh,” Hope greets him with a smile. When it becomes obvious to Hope why Josh had joined them, she giggles, shaking her head. “Right. I’m suddenly hungry,” she says before flashing her and Elijah a smile. “Let’s go grab some food.”

Hayley giggles awkwardly once Hope and Josh are out of sight and Elijah half-chuckles beside her.

“I do believe I owe you a dance,” he says softly, and Hayley can’t help but smile coyly.

“Guess I better take you up on it,” she quips, and he chuckles.

“Hayley, may I have this dance?” he asks her, holding out his hand.

Hayley’s lips stretch into a fond smile, “yes,” she says. She takes his hand, and he leads them onto the dancefloor. His hand rests on her waist as her hand rests on his shoulder before he takes her free hand in his, and she squeezes it gently. They start to sway slowly, their movements completely in sync as the soft music continues to play.

“I have no illusions about how much I’ve hurt you, Hayley. The immense pain I have caused you- I suppose I never quite understood it until you hallucinated those memories after Rebekah told you I’d chosen to forget everyone including you,” he tells her, his voice measured, though his eyes are glassy with tears.

“Elijah…” she trails off, not sure if she wants to put the brakes on this conversation and enjoy the feel of being in his arms once again, or if she wants to have the conversation right here, right now.

“And, I can justify it, I can tell you that I was hurt, too, that I didn’t want it to hurt anymore. That I didn’t think I could face who knows how long without my siblings. Without Hope. Without you. That I thought you didn’t love me anymore. But, I know it’s not enough, that it doesn’t actually justify my very selfish decision. Because, it was selfish. No matter how much I tried to say it was to protect Hope, to make sure I wouldn’t try to keep Niklaus from surrendering to his worst instincts, it was really for me, and it was selfish. And, for that I am sorry. So, I’d like to, once again, ask for your forgiveness. Please forgive me, Hayley, for all the pain I have caused you. For hurting you. You know it is the last thing I would want to do, and yet…” he trails off, his voice thick with emotion.

“I didn’t want to hurt you, either, Elijah. But, I did. I hurt you. And, for that I am truly sorry-” he’s about to cut her off, but she shushes him before continuing, “Don’t. Please, don’t. Because I forgive you, Elijah,” she tells him honestly as they continue to sway and she can see it in his eyes, the disbelief mixed with relief as a half-smile tugs at the corners of his lips.

“I forgive you, too, Hayley. I love you,” he tells her before spinning her out and she giggles airily before spinning back in. “I think I loved even when I couldn’t remember you because a part of me was always going to be connected to you,” he adds, smiling softly.

“I love you, too,” she whispers in his ear once she’s back in his arms. They continue to sway to the rhythm, their movements perfectly in sync, and Elijah spins her out and back in his arms a few more times before finally dipping her back as the song ends. When Hayley is upright once again she notices the other couples had finished their own dances and Hope and Josh were watching them while pretending not to. She presses her lips against Elijah’s for a soft, quick kiss which he returns, his lips firm on hers before they pull away. A livelier song comes on and Josh asks Davina to dance while Marcel asks Hope for a dance. Kol asks Rebekah and Klaus takes it upon himself to be the first of the Mikaelson men to dance with Keelin. Elijah asks Freya for a dance, leaving Hayley and Caroline.

“It looked like things were going well with Elijah,” Caroline quips, never one to beat around the bush as they settle at one of the tables with glasses of champagne.

“Yeah. I think- I think we’ll be okay,” she says, though there’s a part of her that wishes the status of their relationship wasn’t quite so unclear. [It’s not like Elijah had brought up them actually being together, and she wonders if this was only about forgiveness. Sure, they’d told each other they loved each other, but that wasn’t really an issue. Their love was no longer an issue, no longer an unknown. It was, sometimes, the only thing for certain].

“You think? What do you mean you think?” Caroline quips, raising an eyebrow.

“I don’t- I don’t know for sure, Care,” she shrugs. “I mean, we love each other. We’ve forgiven each other. But, I don’t know what’s next,” she sighs, taking another sip of her champagne.

“Do you want to be with him, though?” Caroline asks her after her own sip of champagne. When Hayley doesn’t answer right away, Caroline guesses the answer. “Of course you do. Does he?”

“I think so- I hope so. I mean, he does love me,” she tells her, shrugging.

“So, why are you confused?” Caroline asks her curiously.

“I’m- I’m not confused about what I want,” she admits. “I know what I want. I just don’t know for sure if we’re ready,” she adds.

“Well, you won’t know if you don’t try. Just talk to Elijah, Hayley. Talk to him. And, you’ll know,” Caroline tells her.

“When did you get oh so smart, Caroline Forbes?” she asks her, amused. Caroline smirks. “Except, you are oh so smart about everyone else’s love lives except yours. If I talk to Elijah, you need to talk to Klaus. I saw you guys dancing,” she adds, wiggling her eyebrows.

“It was just a dance, Hayley,” Caroline retorts. Hayley just gives her a look. “Fine. I will talk to Klaus. But, I told you, I don’t know if I’m ready…” she trails off, looking wistful.

“Like you just told me, you won’t know until you try. At least talk to him, okay, Care?”

“Yeah,” the blonde nods. The song that had been playing until now ends, and another, more-upbeat one comes on. “I’m gonna go dance,” Caroline tells her before rushing off to the dancefloor. Hayley sighs, and moves to join her when she notices Elijah walking in her direction.

“Hey,” she says softly and he smiles, gazing warmly at her.

“Hi,” he says.

“Can we talk?” she asks him, her heart beating rapidly in her chest. He turns to face her and nods, and she takes another sip of her champagne. [She’s not sure if it’s for courage or to calm her nerves, but she doesn’t care].

“What is it, my love?” he asks her, concern clear in his eyes.

“Remember when I told you that I live in the now?” she asks and he hums, though both of them are staring out, not ready to face each other. “Elijah, I told you once that when I feel something I act. And, when I want something I take it…” she pauses, licks her lips, her heart beating rapidly in her chest. Elijah turns and reaches to tuck a stray curl behind her ear, and Hayley can’t help but shiver at the feeling of his finger brushing against her cheek.

“And what is it that you want, Hayley?” he asks her, his voice husky, and she can feel his breath on her skin. She shivers.

“You,” is all she says and his breath hitches with an audible gasp. “I want you, Elijah. I want to build a life with you… I- I don’t think- I don’t think I realized quite how much till I lost you, but I- I want all of it. And, I want it all with you, Elijah. And, this is fifteen years too late because I’ve been wanting everything with you since the moment I met you, but…” she pauses, searching his eyes for something to stop her before adding, “I just want to be with you. Because you make me happy, and safe, and loved. And, our past is messy, and painful, but it is that. The past. We are here. Now. Together, after all we’ve done, all the ways we’ve both hurt each other, and I want to be with you more than I want to think about the past,” she finishes, tears prickling at her eyes, her voice thick with emotion. Elijah doesn’t say anything, not at first, and then he cups her cheek with his hand, tilts her head towards him and crashes his lips to hers. Hayley responds immediately, deepening the kiss as he pulls her body closer, his lips and tongue give her all the answer she ever needed. Hayley wraps both her hands around his neck as he holds her close. Their tongues tangles, bodies pressed against each other, her fingers threading his hair, his hands running up and down her back. They pull away slightly, both of them gasping for air before their lips connect halfway once again, hungrily, the kiss heady and passionate, tongues tangled together. Neither of them tries to stop, both of them too lost in each other, too consumed by the feeling of being in each other’s arms once again, not a care in the world. Unfortunately, they hadn’t quite managed to be conspicuous.

“Well, it’s about bloody time,” they hear someone say, and they pull apart to find Rebekah and Klaus looking at them smugly. Hayley blushes furiously as Elijah pulls her closer, hiding his face by pressing a kiss to hair. 

“This is mortifying,” he whispers in her ear, and she chuckles.

And then, she turns in his arms, takes his face in her hands, tilting her head up and presses her lips to his, kissing him passionately. Someone – probably Kol – whistles.

When they pull away, everyone else had averted their attention, and they rest in their embrace, foreheads resting against each other, both of them panting heavily.

“Would you like to get out here?” Elijah mumbles softly, and she grins.

“Let’s go,” she tells him, and takes his hand.

“C’mon, I want to show you something,” he says, leading her towards his car. Hayley nods, letting him tug on her hand, and she looks back to find Caroline and Rebekah smirking at her.

“Where are we going?” she asks curiously as he starts the engine, revving out of the parking lot. Elijah smiles at her, reaching with his free hand to take hers, and she laces her fingers with his loosely, her thumb tracing the familiar callouses on his hands. Slowly, he lifts it up, and brings her hand to his lips, pressing a soft kiss to her wrist, and she smiles fondly at him.

“I want you, as well,” he tells her, his voice soft, and Hayley can’t help but smile at him, her heart beating rapidly in her chest.

“Now, where are we going?” she repeats, chuckling softly, and he barks out a laugh, too.

“Patience, my dear. You’ll find out soon,” he quips.

Hayley furrows her eyebrows as the New Orleans landscape passes by, giving way to the surrounding areas that lead to the Bayou. Finally, he stops by the lake, a few miles away from the area once populated by her pack, in a little secluded part of the Bayou. There’s a single house with a deck, and Elijah parks in front of it.

“Let’s go,” he mutters softly, and Hayley can’t help but stare in confusion, but gets out of the car anyways. It’s a beautiful house, modern-looking, with a porch and a deck overlooking the lake. Hayley takes his hand, and they walk slowly to the front door as Hayley’s mind races. Elijah fishes out a pair of keys from his pocket and opens the front door, allowing her to enter before following her.

“Elijah? What is happening?” she asks him, still confused as she stands in the modern, hard-wood foyer, trying to figure out where they were. The house was spacious, though not huge, a long corridor leading to what looked like an open-plan living room and kitchen area that also likely led to the deck. “Elijah, what the hell is this?” she asks him because her mind flashes back to a conversation they’d once had, ages ago, before the whole mess with the Hollow had started, but she can’t believe it. _It can’t be,_she thinks.

“I- I, uh, I bought this house seven years ago. For us,” he finally admits, and she gasps, tears pooling in her eyes, and Elijah reaches for her immediately, cupping her cheek gently, and she leans into the touch as he rubs his thumb along her jawline. “Do you recall when we said we could be happy out of the city?” he asks her, and she nods, at a loss for words. “Well, I saw this house and I went and saw it. And, I got it for us. But then, everything went to hell, and you and I… I wasn’t sure there was an us anymore, so I gave the keys to Rebekah to take care of it. She gave me those keys today, and I- Hayley, of all the terrible things I’ve done in my thousand years on this earth, none were more grievous than letting you go. I know that now. And, I don’t to let you go ever again. Ever. I promise you, Hayley Marshall, that I will never let you go again,” he tells her, his voice filled with emotion, and she smiles at him.

“I don’t want to ever let you go, either, Elijah,” she whispers softly before reaching to wrap her hands around his neck, pulling him to her as his hands slide against her waist and he holds her tightly, her body pressing against his. They pull away, and Elijah rests one hand on her waist, and she leans into him as they both stand there for a few more seconds.

“I’m sorry, Hayley,” he says softly as they stand in the foyer of their house, his hand resting loosely on her waist. “I wanted… I wanted to build a life with you. I bought this house before the pendant… before everything that happened in hopes that we would get to do that,” he sighs sadly, and Hayley turns to him, reaching to cup his cheek. “I still do. I want us to be happy,” he continues, “I’m sorry it took so long for me to realize-” but before Elijah can launch into another self-blaming, self-loathing speech, she stops him, moving her thumb over his lips.

“Shh, Elijah, please don’t,” she drawls, her voice husky. “Don’t. I want that too, I want to be happy, Elijah. With you. You make me happy,” she says, her voice barely above a whisper. “I told you, I live in the now. And, now, I’d like you to make it up to me without using words,” she almost hisses the last part and she hears Elijah’s breath hitch in his throat and his eyes darken with lust as she presses her body closer to his. And then, she leans forward slightly, tilts her head up, and gently brushes her lips against his, reaching to cup the back of his neck with her other hand, her fingers threading through his hair. Elijah gasps softly and reacts immediately, his hands moving to grip her waist, pulling her closer as his mouth responds to hers in kind, his lips firmly molded with hers. Their tongues tangle together for a few seconds before they pull away, though there are barely inches between them, their noses brushing against each other, the desire clear as they gaze deeply in each other’s eyes.

“I want you…” she drawls in a breathy whisper, her breath mingling with his. “I want you, Elijah Mikaelson,” she repeats hoarsely.

Elijah doesn’t need to be told twice. The moment the words leave Hayley’s lips, his hand reaches to cup the back of her neck, his fingers tugging at her hair as his lips crash against hers, rougher and more demanding this time before he shoves her against the wall behind her. Hayley lets out a soft yelp as her fingers trail along his back, her nails digging into his suit jacket before she pulls away to push his it off, not wanting to waste any time. Elijah’s hands drift to the hem of her dress and he yanks on it none too gently as Hayley makes short work of his tie and waistcoat. Hayley shudders when she feels his touch on her skin, his gentle, calloused fingers brushing lightly along her thigh before grabbing her lacy thong. [Suddenly, she’s glad she’d thought to wear one sh continues to dig her fingers in his back and thread them in his hair, pulling gently on it]. She feels him yank hard on the lacy material of her undergarments, and she gasps lightly when he rips her thong before letting it fall down to the floor. She arches her back as she feels his fingers hover over clit, barely touching her thigh, and she grips him tightly. Their lips are still molded with each other, tongues still tangled together as Hayley hoists one leg up, wrapping it around his waist, and she hears Elijah grunt softly, and she smirks into their kiss at the thought that she still affects him this much. Abruptly, they pull away from each other, though their faces are still mere inches from each other and Hayley inhales sharply, her breath hitching in her throat as Elijah’s fingers finally touch her sensitive skin.

“I have missed you, Elijah. You’ve no idea how much,” she mumbles headily against his lips, and he smirks.

“I’ve missed you too. Even if I didn’t know it,” he tells her, his voice hoarse from the long stretches of silence, and she can hear a slight quiver in his voice. “Now, I believe you told me you wished for me to make it up to you without using words?” he quips lightly and she nods, smirking in anticipation, her heartbeat quickening at the lustful look in his eyes. She nods in response because it seems she is incapable of using words at the moment as Elijah’s calloused finger continue to rub slowly against her clit. “Allow me,” he mutters darkly.

Hayley can’t help but let out a loud moan in response.


	8. Belonging Together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hayley and Elijah make up for lost time in their new home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the wait, but a lot has been going on! Hope you guys enjoy this 100% smut chapter. Rated M for the smut.   
Also, fair warning please be kind and respectful in comments and don't demand or make jokes! Thanks!  
xx

“This…” Hayley pants as Elijah continues rubs his fingers inside her, causing her to let out a moan every time he hits her G spot. [After all these years apart, despite everything that had happened, his is still damn good at pleasuring her, knowing exactly what to do. Their bodies seem to know each other, moving in tandem against each other as Hayley grips him firmly, her head thrown back and pressed against the wall while Elijah is trialing open mouth kisses along her neck and collar while his fingers continue their ministrations. “This… is… fuck, Elijah,” she pants, digging her fingers more as he picks up pace. She clears her throat and licks her lips before trying again. “This feels so good, Elijah,” she says slowly, tugging on his hair to force him to look at her. He does, his dark gaze meeting hers.

“What is it?” he asks softly, and she looks back at him seriously, one eyebrow raised. She tilts her head once before it finally dawns on him. “Oh,” he mutters, a blush creeping onto his cheeks. “Of course. Would you like me to stop?”

“No. But, I want to do to you-” she’s cut off by his lips on hers, firm and demanding, his other hand gripping her tightly. She deepens the kiss, pulling him to her, her tongue tangling with his, and she can feel her release nearing. He pulls away as she tenses, his breath coming out in soft pants against her lips.

“Still want me to stop?” he demands, smirking slightly while his fingers continue rubbing inside her. She shakes her head as she lets out another moan, digging her fingers more into Elijah’s back.

“No… not yet,” she pants against his lips, and he nods before his lips return to her collar, sucking and biting on it while his fingers continue their earlier proclivities. Finally, after a few more well-paced movements of Elijah’s fingers inside her she reaches her release, slumping slightly against the wall, her knees like Jell-O. [Oh, how she was going to get her revenge. Elijah may be good, but Hayley knows his likes and dislikes just as well]. “Okay…” she pants as Elijah pulls his fingers out of her and straightens up. “Now it’s your turn, my love,” she says, hissing the last part before using vampire speed to flip them over, so that he’s the one against the wall.

Swiftly, she rips open his shirt, causing Elijah to grunt slightly as her fingers drift down his chest, along his toned abdomen before settling on the waistband of his pants. She makes quick work of them, too, easily undoing his belt and pushing his boxers off, and swallows thickly at the sight that greets her. Elijah lets out a deep breath as she lets her fingers drift down his length, slowly, almost agonizingly so while her lips start trailing open-mouth kisses along his jaw, dawn his neck, down to his collarbone. She settles on a spot, and can feel Elijah’s hand resting on her bare back, the touch barely there as she looks up for a second and meets his darkened gaze before she begins sucking, and nipping, and biting on his collarbone, careful not to draw blood while her fingers continue to stroke down his length, her movements slow and rhythmic. Elijah continues to hold her, his hands gently cradling her back as she continues her ministrations before pulling away, leaving an angry red mark where her lips had been, though it would heal in second.

“Hayley,” he mutters, something between a moan and a grunt while her other hand settles on his hip as her fingers continue to move up and down his length, and she feels him shiver, which only causes her to lick her lips.

“Elijah,” she mutters as she starts trailing kisses down his bare chest and abdomen before finally stopping just below his hips. Elijah for his part, sort of manages his composure, but loses it when she’s settled at his feet, both her hands now on his shaft, and she’s staring down his entire length. He groans, shutting his eyes briefly as he shudders, clearly aroused. Her stomach tightens in anticipation as her thumbs continue to rub it and she sees Elijah’s eyes darken as he sinks his fingers in her hair before she finally takes him, all of him, inside her mouth, letting out a stifled moan as she does. She eats him out slowly, almost painfully so, and can feel his slight frustration as he pulls on her hair none-too-gently before she finally lets go. [In her defense, she’d missed him and wanted to enjoy him]. Elijah pulls her up almost immediately, his fingers fisting her hair and she wraps her own arms around his neck, pressing her body against his, hooking one leg around his. She can feel his nose brush against the crook of her neck, and she shivers, letting out a loud gasp as Elijah’s other hand hooks around her waist.

It’s silent, the only noise coming from their thumping heartbeats as she continues to press herself against him and he continues to run his hands along her back, causing her to shiver and moan softly. Finally, Elijah breaks it, whispering in her ear, “I’ve missed you, Hayley,” before he presses his lips to her neck. She practically goes limp in his arms as her legs become Jell-O before he pulls her to face him, his hand now cradling her hand, fingers fisting her hair.

“I’ve missed you, too,” she mumbles against his lips, their noses brushing, lips almost touching. And then, she gives in and presses her lips to his, hungrily, slipping her tongue into his mouth as her teeth nip, and bite, and suck on his lower lip. Elijah kisses her back, just as eagerly, his hands now drifting down to rest on her lower back, steadying her, and she winds her arms around his neck once again, this time her fingers threading his hair, pulling at it slightly. She can feel him harden against her thigh, and she can feel herself become wet, and this time she doesn’t want foreplay. [She needs him. And, she suspects – more than suspects – knows, he needs her, too]. His fingers roam her body, squeezing her ass, moving up to cup her breasts as she digs her own fingers in his shoulder blades, her tongue tangled with his hungrily, her hips grinding against his rhythmically. Their bodies are in perfect sync, as if there had never been any time apart, as if the last time they’d been like this hadn’t been seven years ago. Finally, they break the kiss, and Elijah rests his forehead against hers, both of them panting heavily.

“I need you, Hayley. Right now. I need to fuck you,” he mutters, demandingly against her lips. She shivers slightly at the tone, and just presses herself against him as she replies.

“Need?” He nods. “Good. Because I need you, too, Elijah. Right now,” she mumbles against his lips.

And then, Elijah simply pushes her down onto the floor, rough and gentle at the same time, and she wraps both her legs around his waist while her hands rest on his upper back, fingers digging in his shoulder blades as he presses a tender kiss to the corner of her lips before drifting to her neck, pressing open-mouth kisses down to her collarbone. She lets out a loud moan as Elijah bites her skin and arches her back as he continues to nip and suck on it while his hips grind against hers before he angles his body to slip inside her, causing her to let out a louder moan as she clings to him. They shift slightly, adjusting to each other before Elijah starts thrusting rhythmically inside her while continuing to suck on her collarbone, his movements frenzied yet measured all at once. She moans, and her fingers dig into his shoulder blades as she moves her hips against his, matching his movements, her toes curling as her heel rubs against his calf, and he grunts in response.

“Fuck, Elijah, this…” she trails off, letting out another moan as Elijah manages to hit just the right spot while continuing his ministrations on her collarbone. “Fuck,” he manages to pant out again. Finally, he pulls away, and she pulls him, forcing him to face her, both of them staring into each other’s eyes, dark with lust.

“I love you, Hayley,” he mutters, his nose brushing against hers. She gasps again as he continues his thrusts, arching her back.

“Love you, too, Elijah. Now, kiss me and fuck me,” she demands. Elijah nods, a small smirk playing on his lips before he grabs her arms, pinning them above her head. Then, he kisses her, his lips hungry and desperate on hers, his teeth nipping and biting her lips as their tongues tangle together while his thrusts become more frantic, hers matching his. She could feel her release coming, and she was pretty sure Elijah was close, too. _God, she needed him. _She breaks the kiss, her lips still mere inches from his, and she pants against his lips, mumbling, “fuck, Elijah. I need y-” she’s cut off by Elijah thrusting more forcefully inside her, and her nails dig even further into his skin, painfully enough that he grunts.

“I know, darling,” he mutters against her lips, his thrusts become more and more frantic, and she arches her back, gasping in pleasure. “Me too.”

“…so close,” she mumbles against his lips as her climax continues to build and she can feel herself about to lose all control. “Elijah, fuck…”

“Hayley,” he manages to mutter against her lips before moving his lips to her earlobe, nipping it gently, and causing her to moan loudly, arching her back, her hands moving to the back of his neck, fingers threading his hair.

Finally, with one more thrust, Elijah spills into her, groaning, and Hayley herself reaches her own mind-blowing release, relaxing underneath him, letting out a moan before he collapses on top of her, and they both pant heavily. Finally, he rolls over, and she rests her head on his chest as he wraps his arm around her, and they both breathe out a heavy sigh. They’re both laying on the floor of their home, their clothes scattered in piles around them, silence enveloping them. Hayley tilts her head up and meets his gaze, reaching with her free hand to cup his cheek, gently stroking his jaw with her finger.

“What is it?” he asks softly, his fingers trailing down her side as their feet tangle together.

“Nothing, just…” she exhales slowly as she continues to stare deeply into Elijah’s eyes. “I love you. God, I love you, Elijah Mikaelson,” she finally says, and Elijah’s lips stretch into a slow smile.

“I love you, too, Hayley Marshall. You have no idea how much,” he says in response before shifting slight to press a tender kiss to her forehead as she sighs softly, nuzzling closer to him, her cheek resting on his chest.

“Mm,” she mumbles, her nose brushing against his chest before pressing a chaste kiss to his collarbone. “This was nice,” she murmurs as she glances back at him and Elijah meets her gaze, his eyes slightly darkened with lust, and he smirks.

“It was. Shall we go for another round, Miss Marshall?” he quips, and she chuckles as she slips one leg over his, climbing slightly on top of him.

“You sure you up for it?” she drawls, smirking as she meets his gaze. Elijah doesn’t respond, and instead flips them over so he’s on top, pressing himself against her as she wraps one leg around his hips while he pins her arms above her head.

“Why wouldn’t I be?” he mutters in a hoarse whisper, his nose brushing against hers, and she smiles, her forehead resting against his. And then, she closes the gap between them, pressing her lips to his. Elijah kisses her back immediately, his teeth nipping at her lower lip, his slight stubble scratching her chin, his tongue tangling with his, almost as if dancing to a familiar rhythm. The kiss is passionate and demanding, and she yanks her arms out of his grip, reaching to rest her palms against his cheeks, her thumbs rubbing against his jaw as Elijah’s hands trail down her sides, his fingers gently caressing her skin, causing her to shiver. They break the kiss, both of them panting slightly, and Elijah presses his lips to the corner of her mouth before trailing kisses along her jaw, down her neck, finally settling on spot on her collarbone and kisses it lightly. Hayley lets out a moan as he enters her slowly and arches her back, her toes curling as her legs press against him as he starts thrusting slowly, carefully. She lets out another moan as Elijah starts nipping, and biting, and sucking on her collarbone while his thrusts become more fast-paced, and she arches her hips to match his movements, her hands drifting to the back of his neck.

“Elijah, fuck…” she pants and moans, arching her back as her fingers dig into his shoulder blades. “I need… you… fuck me, Elijah- oh God…” she manages to pant out. Elijah grunts, though he continues his ministrations on her collarbone, his thrusts becoming more frantic before he finally pulls away, “I missed you, darling,” he murmurs softly, an almost concentrated look on his face, though there is a wildness about him, hunger and lust clear in his eyes, and she has to admit she’s a little proud of herself for the effect she has on him

“I missed… you… too…” she gasps. Then, she reaches for him, cupping his cheek and pulling him in for another kiss, her lips firm and demanding on his. He kisses her back, just as hungrily, his hands resting firmly on her hips. Their tongues tangle together as they continue to move in sync, and Elijah thrusting harder and faster inside her. She can feel her release nearing and she deepens the kiss as her hands drift to his back, her fingers digging in his skin while he continues to ride her at an almost frantic pace and she matches his movements, grinding her own hips against his. Elijah breaks the kiss, both of them panting and gasping for air, and this time she reaches her release first, sagging against the floor beneath him as he reaches to cup her cheek with his hand, his thumb tracing her cheekbone slowly, their breaths mingling. With another groan, he follows barely a second later, spilling inside her before slumping against her, dropping his head in the crook of her neck, burying his nose in her hair and she lets out a deep breath, reaching to wrap her hand around his neck, her fingers threading through his hair.

“I love you,” she mumbles softly against his skin once they’d settled, wrapped in each other’s arms, her head resting on his chest, his lips on her hair, his arms around her, hers tracing circles on his chest.

“I love you, too,” he mumbles into her ear, gently caressing her side. Silence envelops them once again, though neither of them minds really, content just lying in each other’s arms. “What are you thinking about, my love,” Elijah whispers softly, his voice a little hoarse from the long stretches of silence.

“I’m thinking…” she pauses, lifting her head to look at him, and reaches to cup his cheek as she continues, “I’m thinking that this is a very nice house that I haven’t seen nearly enough of,” she quips, smirking slightly. Elijah chuckles.

“Well, we were rather preoccupied, don’t you think?” he retorts, reaching to cup her cheek as well, and she leans into his touch.

“Hmm, we were. But, now, I think it’s time for a change of scenery,” she smiles coyly and Elijah smirks.

“I see. Well, where shall we move our current activities to? That is, if you still wish to engage?” he retorts, smirking suggestively at her, and she can’t help but chuckle. At first, she doesn’t say anything, just smiles coyly, causing Elijah to frown slightly.

“Hmm, I do wish… to continue… our activities,” she finally drawls, and his expression relaxes. “So, where shall we go, my love?”

“Perhaps we should try the master bedroom? It has a very large bed, so you might be more comfortable, Miss Marshall,” he teases and she chuckles as she gets up. Though, Elijah doesn’t let her move, and instead picks her up before vamp-speeding to one of the doors, opening it while still carrying her before putting her down. With one hand still on her waist, he closes the door with his foot, though it doesn’t really matter since they’re the only ones in the house. [At some point he’d closed the front door, sometime before he shoved her against the wall and gave her an Earth-shattering release, that is]. “Better now, Miss Marshall?” he quips as he cups her cheek, tracing her jaw gently. She can’t help but chuckle and shuts her eyes briefly before opening and reaching to cup his cheek in turn.

“You are such a flirt, Elijah Mikaelson,” she quips, her lips stretching into a half smile as she meets his gaze, his lustful gaze causing her to shiver slightly, her stomach tightening with anticipation. And then, she turns them around and pushes him onto the bed before climbing on top of him as his hands move to her waist and she cups his cheek.

Elijah smirks slightly, his eyes darkened with lust, “but you love me anyways.”

“That I do,” she concedes. And then, her lips are on his as she grinds her hips against his, her fingers pulling slightly on his hair, his hands resting on her back, fingers slowly caressing her skin, and she can feel him harden against her thighs. She kisses him deeply, her lips firm and demanding on his, and he returns the kiss, just as eagerly, just as passionately, his stubble scratching her chin, his teeth nipping at her lower lip. Their tongues tangle together for a few seconds before they break the kiss, both of them panting and gasping for air, their foreheads resting against each other, noses brushing.

“I need…” she trails off in a hoarse whisper, her hands still resting on his face, thumbs tracing along his jaw.

“I know, Hayley… me too…” he pants, nodding slightly, and that is all the indication she needs because she wants it – no, needs it – as much. With a gasp, she plunges down, taking all of him inside her, letting out a loud moan, and Elijah arches his back, though he continues to keep his hands firmly on her waist. And then, she picks up rhythm, moving over him almost frantically, her hands drifting to his neck, down to his shoulder blades, nails digging into his skin.

“Yes, Hayley…” Elijah pants before his hands on her hips steady her as he thrusts inside her, too, quickening his pace to match her movements, and she can feel herself near her peak. She throws her head back, moaning loudly, and can feel Elijah reach his, too.

“Oh… Elijah, oh…” she gasps as she reaches her release, and Elijah spills inside her, moaning loudly, and she slumps on top of him before rolling over, her head still resting on his chest. Elijah drapes his arm across her chest, reaching to take her free hand, lacing his fingers with hers. She rests her other hand against his cheek, her thumb tracing along his jawline slowly, and she feels Elijah press his lips into her hair.

“Mm…” she mutters against his chest, pressing her lips against his skin. Silence settles between them, though neither complains, both of them relishing in the feeling of being in each other’s arms, neither intending to let go.

“What is it?” Elijah asks after a while, breaking the silence, but she’s pretty sure he can sense her spinning thoughts. He tilts his head slightly, pressing his lips against her lips and she smiles in contentment.

“Remember when I told you I want to build a life with you?” she asks him softly, glancing over at him. He nods. “I still do. If the offer still stands,” she whispers, and a smile stretches onto Elijah’s face.

“Of course. I told you, Hayley, I don’t intend to ever let you go,” he says softly, and she tilts her head up, meeting his lips halfway for a tender kiss.


	9. The Mikaelson Way

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Rebekah reveals something to Caroline, Caroline is faced with the impossible task of telling Klaus about it. Meanwhile, Marcel spends time with Hope, and Rebekah gives Hayley a call.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This update is long overdue, but I hope you'll forgive me! Life's just been crazy, and this update took a while to get into! But, I think chapter 10 will arrive sooner! This one doesn't have much Haylijah, but they're mentioned quite a bit! You'll get why I wrote it from differente perspectives! Also, I hope this gives you all an insight into some other characters involved! Enjoy!  
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As she watches Hayley and Elijah leave the wedding, hand in hand, leaning towards each other, Caroline Forbes-Salvatore finds herself sighing wistfully, feeling the all-too familiar pang of longing in her chest. The others had resumed dancing, and she smiles despite the tears prickling in her eyes as she continues to watch. When the song finishes, a slower one comes on, and the Mikaelsons pair off. Marcel with Rebekah, Kol with Hope since Josh was dancing with Davina, and the two newlyweds were swaying together.

“Hello, love,” a voice she knows all too well says softly, and when she turns she finds none other than Klaus Mikaelson himself standing mere inches away from her. Her heartbeat picks up slightly, like it always does around him, and she attempts a smile, though it seems more like a grimace. “What are you doing standing here all by yourself?” he wonders, a small smirk tugging at the corners of his lips, and she lets herself look at him, her eyes roaming over him in the suit. She has to admit, he always did look good in a suit.

“Just thinking,” she sighs and takes a sip of her champagne. Klaus nods in understanding. “What? Did you end up without a dance partner and decide to seek out the girl who got widowed on her wedding day?” she retorts, and immediately bites her lip, because even for the banter she and Klaus usually exchange, it’s too harsh.

“No. I was looking for my once dance partner. I do recall you having impeccable dance moves,” he tells her, his blue eyes meeting hers, and her shoulders slump sadly.

“Yeah, well, that was a long time ago,” she tells him, shaking her head, though it wasn’t entirely true. She’d danced with him barely a few minutes ago. Still, there was something different. [Maybe it was the soft music, or maybe the amount of wedding champagne she’d had, or maybe it was the way he was looking at her].

“Care to dance?” he asks her, ignoring her comment. She squirms and her stomach flutters nervously, that feeling of a thousand butterflies returning as Klaus’ gaze roams over her body, and she shivers slightly. “It is a beautiful night and a beautiful song is playing. I promise I will be a true gentleman,” he adds, his lips curling into a smirk.

“Well, fine, if you insist,” she sighs, though a smile tugs at the corners of her lips as she glances coyly at him. Klaus extends his hand to her, and she takes it with a theatric eye roll. Once they’re on the dance floor, he rests one hand on her waist, and she rests her other hand on his shoulder, and he draws her close, and they begin to sway as the song continues to play slowly, their bodies moving rhythmically to the tune. As Klaus spins her back in to his arms, she can’t help but notice how comfortable, how familiar, how _safe_, it felt to be in Klaus Mikaelson’s arms, and she could feel how her body pressed against his affected him. It gave her a strange sense of power, that the Big Bad Klaus Mikaelson was this affected by her in his arms. He spins her out once more, and she gasps when he spins her back in and their lips are mere inches from each other, but the song ends then. Still, Klaus doesn’t let her go, and Caroline can’t help but let her eyes drift to his lips, and she pants slightly, her breath mingling with his.

“Well, isn’t this bloody wonderful? One of my brothers has just ridden off with his soulmate, another one is cozying up to an old flame,” Rebekah mutters quietly to Marcel, but it’s loud enough for her to hear. She licks her lip and steps back, yanking out of Klaus’ grip as he stares at her, a little taken aback before she spins around and vamp speeds to the bathroom where she collapses against the sink, shutting her eyes and breathing heavily, trying to regain control of herself.

“Well, hello.” Caroline looks up to find Rebekah Mikaelson leaning against the bathroom door.

“Rebekah. Just the Mikaelson I was looking for,” she exclaims, plastering on a smile as she straightens herself and opens her clutch.

“Oh, I’m sure you were, darling,” Rebekah quips, rolling her eyes, and smirks slyly.

“What?” she snaps as she dabs some mascara on her eyelashes.

“It seems there’s still something between you two,” the Mikaelson tells her as she applies lipstick.

“It- it’s nothing,” Caroline shakes her head, running her fingers through her hair before pulling out her lip gloss. 

“Oh, really? Because it most certainly did not look like ‘nothing’, Caroline. Spit it out,” Rebekah snaps seriously.

“I don’t know what you want me to say, Rebekah,” she tells the blonde. “We danced. It was nice. The song ended,” she says curly, rolling her eyes.

“The spell broke. Cinderella ran off,” Rebekah retorts, smirking slightly, and she rolls her eyes. “Caroline, it is quite obvious that whatever was between you and my less-nice brother when we were in Mystic Falls years ago, is still there. I thought I told you, my brother still fancies you, and it’s quite obvious so do you. You should just go for it,” the blonde tells her, and she sighs.

“I- it’s complicated,” she brushes it off vaguely. Rebekah just rolls her eyes. “Besides, I actually do want to talk to you about something. Why were you crying earlier? When I came looking for you, you were crying in Marcel’s arms, and the Rebekah Mikaelson I know doesn’t cry so easily. So, what was it?” she asks decisively, not willing to let the older vampire brush it off.

“Nothing, Caroline, don’t worry about it,” Rebekah shrugs, moving to the door, but Caroline vamp-speeds to block her exit.

“C’mon, Rebekah, enough with the riddles and the evasive answers. What is going on? Is it Klaus? Is it Hope?” she pauses, furrowing her eyebrows. “Is it… Hayley?” she adds, her throat constricting, and she swallows thickly. Rebekah whimpers quietly, and bows her head.

“May I?” the blonde asks softly, and she nods. Then, the Original extends her hand elegantly to lay it against her cheek, and she shuts her eyes, letting the other woman into her mind.

At first, she sees Marcel and Rebekah in the compound, and judging by Rebekah’s attire, she realizes this had been the day of Freya and Keelin’s wedding. The blonde Original was clearly upset and angry with the Enhanced Original.

_“Don’t bullshit me, Marcel! What the hell did you mean when you said that Elijah’s decision was because of what Vincent said to him?” Rebekah yells in a demanding tone, not beating around the bush. “And, just what did Vincent say to him, pray tell?”_

_“Nothing. It was just- doesn’t matter,” Marcel mutters, brushing it off, but Rebekah clearly doesn’t believe him. _

_“Oh, come on, Marcel! You’re lying to me! I know you, I’ve known you for so long, I know when you’re lying and you’re lying now!” she yells, her voice emotional as she steps closer to him. Marcel’s jaw is sat, and he doesn’t say anything, refusing to meet her gaze. Slowly, he stands up, moving to walk out, but she won’t let him. Instead, she reaches for his wrist, gripping it painfully, breaking down the protective barriers to his mind. _

The next memory occurs in a cemetery, and Caroline remembers that Lafayette cemetery was supposedly very sacred to the witches of New Orleans. She sees Elijah wearing a well-pressed suit, though he does have a slightly rugged look. There are four girls lying on the ground, and Caroline gasps. And then, there is Vincent Griffin, whom Caroline had met briefly through Hayley.

“This was seven years ago when we were trying to deal with that nasty Hollow. Elijah thought performing the Harvest ritual – a ritual used to strengthen the link with the Ancestors – would help. The link had been broken, and Elijah believed reestablishing it would help defeat that bloody evil bitch. Vincent was rather uncooperative, but eventually succeeded and reestablished the link through Davina, who was later resurrected by the Hollow itself,” Rebekah explains. “Probably the only bloody good thing to come out of that bloody mess,” she adds.

“Okay,” she whispers softly, still not sure what it all meant.

“Look,” Rebekah prompts, and Caroline focuses her attention on the memory playing in front of her.

_Elijah starts walking away, but Vincent turns and stops him, “Elijah, let me ask you a question. Do you remember what it’s like to be a human being?” _

_“Not really,” Elijah says softly, his voice sad. _

_“Cause you just put four little girls’ lives at risk,” Vincent presses angrily. _

_“I’m trying, Vincent,” Elijah sighs sadly, though she can see his shoulders slump in defeat. “I-” he starts to say, but cuts himself off. There’s pregnant pause before he continues, “now whatever happened tonight, we prevented the city from being destroyed-” he tries to argue, but this time it’s Vincent who cuts him off. _

_“What happens if what we did didn’t work tonight?” he counters angrily. Elijah scoffs. _

_“It did,” he retorts, his jaw set. “But now we have an ally against the Hollow,” he adds. _

_“Yeah, Elijah,” Vincent mutters and sniffles. “You’re an infection on my city,” he adds, and Rebekah can’t help but flinch at the harsh words. In the memory, she sees the way Elijah’s jaw is set and knows how it hits him, though he doesn’t show it. Instead, he just stands there, his expression devoid of emotion as Vincent tears into him. “You have absolutely no virtue and you have no value here, or wherever it is that you decide to drag yourself next. I feel sorry for the little girl that she’s got to be raised in a household with a punk like you,” he spits out the word, pure disgust and hatred in his eyes, and Rebekah grips Marcel’s arm tightly. “And, I’m going to be praying for her soul. Because I know you ain’t got one, Elijah,” he says his name in disdain before walking away. _

Caroline gasps, and Rebekah pulls away, and she notices a lone tear sliding down the Original’s cheek.

“Well,” she pauses as Rebekah composes herself. “That was a bit harsh. I mean, sure, Elijah’s done some unspeakable things, but from what I’ve heard from Hayley, he’s always done everything for your family, for Hayley, for Hope. Guess some people still see him as a Mikaelson and nothing else,” she says, but Rebekah shakes her head.

“No, you don’t understand. I don’t blame you though. I mean, how could you? You don’t know him. He’s not your brother, or your uncle, or the love of your life. What Vincent said to Elijah wasn’t just harsh. It imbedded itself in his already damaged psyche, it made him do what he did seven years ago. The bloody idiot told Elijah the world would be better off without him, Caroline!” Rebekah exclaims, her lower lip trembling with emotion.

“_Oh_.” The word falls from her lips silently as realization dawns on her. “So, he died the only way he could,” she finally says, nodding. [She had gained some experience in the past with vampires who struggled like this, and suddenly it feels like she’d gained some kind of new understanding of the situation. But, also like she’d been privy to something secret, almost sacred in a sense]. “Poor Elijah. Poor Hayley- wait, does she know?” she demands. Rebekah shakes her head, and Caroline sighs as she leans against the bathroom counter, Rebekah leaning beside her.

“I’m going to tell her,” Rebekah informs her.

“Really? I mean, is it such a good idea?” she wonders, glancing over at the blonde.

“Yes. I must- _someone _must tell Hayley,” Rebekah says, not leaving any room for questioning. “Elijah’s going to propose,” she adds, and Caroline can’t help but gasp. “He has a ring, and a house, and he wants to start a life with Hayley. But, he _won’t _tell her, so someone else needs to, so she can bring it up with him,” Rebekah explains, and Caroline nods.

“Okay,” she sighs quietly, not sure what she should say or not. Instead, she reaches across the space between them and takes Rebekah’s hand, squeezing it lightly, flashing the other blonde vampire a smile as silence descends between them. 

“Will you do me a favor, though?” Rebekah asks after a while.

“What is it?”

“Will you tell Nik?” she asks, and Caroline can’t help but stare at her in shock. 

“Are you crazy?” she demands, standing up and crossing her arms over her chest.

“No. Listen, Caroline, as much as I don’t like admitting it, you are one of the two, or perhaps three people who could talk my brother off the edge. And, he will most definitely throw a tantrum, or want to cause mass murder. So, I need someone who can calm him down to tell him, and that someone needs to be you,” Rebekah informs her, gripping her shoulders firmly, and looking at her seriously. _Damn it, _Caroline curses in her head, realizing she had no way out, that she had to do it.

“Ugh, fine,” she finally groans in defeat. “I’ll tell him,” she adds, and bites her lip.

“Good,” Rebekah nods. “Now, shall we return to the party?” the Original vampire suggests, straightening her dress. Caroline takes several deep, gasping breaths, and does her best to calm herself. And then, she plasters on a smile, and nods at Rebekah. The two of them exit the bathroom, and meet with everyone else.

* * *

“You okay?” Marcel asks as they watch Freya and Keelin leave, followed by Caroline, Klaus and a tipsy Hope, and Kol and Davina, who stop in front of them. She nods discretely at him, and he flashes her a comforting smile. [She’d exchanged hugs with her sister and new sister-in-law, then she and Caroline had exchanged a reassuring hug with promises to talk later, and she’d told her brother to take care of her niece before pulling the young girl in for a quick hug].

“Take care of the family, Bekah?” Kol says, smiling softly, and she grins back as he rests his hand on her shoulder.

“Well, someone has to keep the house in order,” she smirks, and reaches out to wrap her arms around her brother.

“Yes, for once, I’m glad you’re not daggered in the basement,” Kol quips in her ear, squeezing her lightly. When they pull away, she notices Davina and Marcel are wrapped in a nice hug. Josh, too, joins the small group.

“Take care, D,” Marcel tells the young witch, squeezing her arm lightly.

“Don’t worry,” Kol remarks. “We’ll probably see you soon. We’re all probably due for another nice family dinner,” he chuckles, and Rebekah can’t help but snort out a laugh.

“If this family was actually capable of having a nice dinner,” she mutters, and the rest of them burst out into an alcohol-induced laughter. “Be good,” she adds after they’d all calmed down, though it’s mostly directed at Kol than anyone else. “Davina, love, do us all a favor and keep him in line,” she adds, winking at the witch. The brunette just smiles as Kol wraps his arm around her waist, pulling her close. After a few more hugs, the couple leaves, followed by Josh, and then it’s just her and Marcel.

“Bekah…” he whispers huskily, standing so close to her she can practically feel his breath on her neck.

“Yes?” she whispers, though it sounds more like a squeak.

“You know, there are some empty rooms here,” he mumbles.

“And, what, pray tell, would we be using them for?” she retorts, turning slightly towards him, and her breath hitches in her throat when she realizes just how close they were standing.

“Well, I thought there were still some things we should discuss,” he informs her like it was obvious. She just rolls her eyes.

“And, what might they be?” she quips, licking her lips slightly, and her gaze flickers to his lips, while Marcel’s palm rubs against her arm.

“Well, for starters, we should figure out what we’re going to do tomorrow,” he mutters quietly, his own gaze flickering to her lips. She could feel her heart hammering in her chest, and she could see the proximity was affecting him, too.

“Or,” he continues, his voice hoarse, “we could continue our conversation from before. About the question I asked you in New York. I could convince you all your reasons for not wanting to marry me are stupid,” he mumbles, smirking slightly.

Briefly, she shuts her eyes and exhales slowly before taking several steps back.

“Don’t be a bloody idiot, Marcel,” she quips, rolling her eyes before turning around and heading back. But, his words stop her.

“So, what if I am, huh?” he says, and she freezes, letting out a soft huff.

“Damn it,” she mutters before turning around to face him, her heart hammering in her chest. And then, she’s in his arms and her lips are on his, and all her previous concerns are forgotten.

* * *

Caroline Forbes-Salvatore walks into the Mikaelson compound the day after Freya and Keelin’s wedding with a sense of dread and determination. The Abbatoir was mostly empty, and the only inhabitant happens to also be the one she was reluctantly looking for. [Freya and Keelin had rented a hotel room to celebrate their nuptials a little out, Hayley and Elijah were still wherever they were, and Rebekah was with Marcel and Hope, though Caroline knew the blonde was supposed to meet with Hayley]. Caroline sighs. _How had she gotten involved in a Mikaelson family drama? _The vampire tucks a blonde curl behind her year, and looks up.

“Klaus! Klaus!” she yells loudly, though the Original hybrid had probably heard her upon entering. “Klaus Mikaelson!” she bellows, crossing her arms over her chest. Still nothing. She opens her mouth to yell once more, but stops abruptly when Klaus himself steps towards the railing wearing nothing but a towel around his hips.

“Caroline,” he greets her, smirking. “Back so soon, love?” he quips when she doesn’t say anything. [In her defense, because she was standing in the courtyard and he was upstairs, she had to be looking up. Except, looking up also meant looking at Klaus’ well-toned torso, his tattoo unintentionally catching her eye. Finally, she shakes her head, snapping out of her trance, and averts her gaze, meeting his.

“Yes, actually,” she tells him. “I came to collect on a promise. Decided today might be a good a day as any,” she adds.

“Have you now?” the hybrid smirks. “And, what might that be?” he wonders. “Wait, don’t tell me. Why don’t you come up to the study, and we’ll have a drink, and then, you can tell me all about it?”

_Why the hell not? _The blonde doesn’t waste any time in jumping up the stairs while the hybrid is in his room, and he meets her in the study seconds later, wearing a grey Henley and jeans, his curly hair slightly wet. Caroline clears her throat and purses her lip, trying not to look at how well the shirt clings to Klaus’ body. _Damn it, what is wrong with you, Caroline? _she scolds herself.

After pouring two glasses of bourbon, one of which he hands her, the hybrid takes a seat in one of the comfortable armchairs across from her. Upon closer inspection, the young vampire realizes this was Elijah’s study, and she feels a pang of guilt as her mind replays the conversation with Rebekah in the ladies’ room the night before.

“So, love, what brings you to my not-so-humble abode?” he asks, smirking while taking a sip of bourbon. Caroline takes a big gulp, swallowing nervously, and the liquid burns her throat. [She rarely drinks as it is these days, and mostly it’s a few glasses of wine when she visits Damon and Elena. On occasion, Damon would pour a glass of bourbon, too, but Elena doesn’t let him get too hammered because his tolerance is no longer what it once was. Alaric drinks sometimes, but Caroline doesn’t indulge with him, not wanting to set a bad example]. “What promise did you wish to make good of?”

“Uh, well,” she starts nervously, and plasters on a smile. “You once told me you’d show me around the world. Which, obviously, we can’t do now, but I’ve never really seen New Orleans,” she says, trying to keep her tone light. [She’s stalling; she knows, but she doesn’t think coming right out with it would end very well].

“You wish to see New Orleans?” Klaus ponders, perplexed.

“Yeah. I mean, you did tell me you’d show me around when we saw each other at my graduation,” she informs him, and takes another sip of her drink. [Along with vowing to be her last love, but Caroline wasn’t going to mention that].

“I did, didn’t? Well, I suppose, yes, today might be a good day as any,” he smirks, and takes a sip. “And, why the sudden interest? I mean, it’s been a while,” he adds, leaning forwards slightly. Caroline doesn’t answer straight away, and looks at him carefully, trying to figure out what to say next. [She wasn’t exactly lying to him, but she did have ulterior motives to her visit. Still, it was nice to exchange playful, and slightly flirtatious banter with Klaus].

“Well, I, uh, I just thought it might be time,” she tells him honestly. Klaus nods, and smiles, a real smile this time.

“I agree. So, why don’t we go?”

He stands up, and she stands along with him, and follows him out, checking her phone for any messages as she goes.

“Shall we, love?” he asks once they’d exited the compound, and gestures towards Bourbon street.

“Sure,” she quips, smiling slightly at him. She doesn’t miss the way he looks at her, the way his gaze drifts over her body, and she has to admit to herself that she’s sort of enjoying it. Together, they start walking, hands brushing against each other every so often. _  
_

* * *

“Okay, Marcel, out with it!” Hope snaps, causing Marcel to stare at her in shock. [Early that morning, Marcel had arrived to pick her up for what he called some good, old family bonding. He took her to her favorite bakery that had the best beignets in New Orleans, so she hadn’t complained much. Then, they’d decided to walk around the Quarter despite the fact that she’d lived in New Orleans for most of her life].

“I don’t know what you mean, kiddo,” the vampire quips, but Hope rolls her eyes. [They’d spent basically the entire day together, and while it was nice hanging out with Marcel, she had the feeling that the purpose of it wasn’t just because Marcel suddenly missed his sort-of-sister].

“Oh, come on, Marcel. Look, I’m fifteen, not stupid,” she retorts and Marcel chuckles in response, the memory of their first meeting returning fleetingly. “And, like I told you, I don’t need a babysitter,” she glares at him. Marcel rolls his eyes, and she scoffs. “Look, I’m old enough to BE a babysitter, so why have you suddenly decided that I need to HAVE one?” she blurts, crossing her arms over her chest. When Marcel doesn’t say anything, doesn’t make some joke about simply wanting to spend time with his sort-of-sister, her expression softens and she takes a seat on one of the benches nearby, patting the spot next to her, motioning for him to join her. Marcel sighs heavily, but sits beside her. “What… what’s going on, what aren’t you guys telling me?” she asks, sighing heavily.

At first, she’s pretty sure Marcel won’t say anything, but then he bows his head in defeat and sighs heavily. “Look, I’m just keeping an eye on you because everyone else is busy. And, because your aunt Rebekah asked me to,” he says softly, flashing her a small smile.

“Why?” she asks, furrowing her brows, and gestures for Marcel to continue.

“She’s just busy, dealing with something. A family matter. So are your parents and Caroline, and since Freya and Keelin are having some time to themselves before they get pulled into Mikaelson craziness, I said I’d keep an eye on you,” he continues, but she shakes her head.

“Family business? Well, I’m part of this family, too,” she retorts, crossing her arms. [She didn’t like her family keeping stuff from her, it was bad enough they were all tiptoeing around her because of the dark magic that was inside her after she’d taken back the power from them. But, keeping family secrets from her was too much]. “What are they keeping from me?” she demands firmly, moving away when Marcel reaches for her, but the Enhanced Original is fast, and he keeps her from moving.

“Hope, would you please just calm down?” he asks softly, and she sighs, inhaling sharply before exhaling slowly. She repeats the action several times, and visibly relaxes. “Your aunt Rebekah might kill me, but I guess you’re right. I should tell you. You know what, why don’t I show you?” he asks her, reaching for her, and she nods. Marcel cups her cheek lightly, and she closes her eyes, opening her mind.

The memory occurs in Lafayette Cemetery, and Hope furrows her eyebrows as she looks around. At first, she sees four girls on the ground, covered in blood, and she gasps quietly. Then, she spots her Uncle Elijah in his typical suit, though his hair is a little messed up. And then, she sees Vincent, and immediately feels a knot in her stomach, and gasps quietly.

“This was seven years ago when we were trying to deal with the Hollow. Elijah thought performing the Harvest ritual – a ritual used to strengthen the link with the Ancestors – would help. The link had been broken, so Elijah thought reestablishing it would help defeat that bloody evil bitch. Vincent didn’t really want to do it, but Elijah basically forced him into it, and he reestablished the link through Davina. And, well, you know the rest, kiddo,” Marcel explains quietly.

“Yeah. And, the Hollow later brought Davina back to life,” she whispers softly.

“Yeah. Probably the only good thing that happened, though that was mostly your Uncle Kol’s doing. That thing did more damage than good anyways. Just watch,” Marcel replies, sounding sad.

_Elijah starts walking away, but Vincent turns and stops him, “Elijah, let me ask you a question. Do you remember what it’s like to be a human being?” _

_“Not really,” Elijah says softly, his voice sad. _

_“Cause you just put four little girls’ lives at risk,” Vincent presses angrily. _

_“I’m trying, Vincent,” Elijah sighs sadly, though she can see his shoulders slump in defeat. “I-” he starts to say, but cuts himself off. There’s pregnant pause before he continues, “now whatever happened tonight, we prevented the city from being destroyed-” he tries to argue, but this time it’s Vincent who cuts him off. _

_“What happens if what we did didn’t work tonight?” he counters angrily. Elijah scoffs. _

_“It did,” he retorts, his jaw set. “But now we have an ally against the Hollow,” he adds. _

_“Yeah, Elijah,” Vincent mutters and sniffles. “You’re an infection on my city,” he adds, and Rebekah can’t help but flinch at the harsh words. In the memory, she sees the way Elijah’s jaw is set and knows how it hits him, though he doesn’t show it. Instead, he just stands there, his expression devoid of emotion as Vincent tears into him. “You have absolutely no virtue and you have no value here, or wherever it is that you decide to drag yourself next. I feel sorry for the little girl that she’s got to be raised in a household with a punk like you,” he spits out the word, pure disgust and hatred in his eyes. “And, I’m going to be praying for her soul. Because I know you ain’t got one, Elijah,” he says his name in disdain before walking away. _

With a gasp, Hope pulls away from Marcel, and almost backwards on the bench, her gaze meeting that of her sort-of-brother, whose shoulders slump sadly.

“Oh my God,” she mutters quietly, immediately feeling guilty. [She’d been angry at Elijah for so long, and had only recently started to forgive him after what he’d revealed before Freya and Keelin’s wedding. But, now she feels incredibly guilty about it because it seems that there had been an actual reason for him abandoning them, that Vincent’s words had prompted him to do it]. “Oh my God,” she repeats, blinking slowly.

“Kiddo…” Marcel says softly, but pauses.

“All this time. All this time, I’ve been so angry with him, so mad at him! For abandoning the family, for hurting my mom, for abandoning my dad… for abandoning _me_,” she bursts out, tears ready to spill over, her voice wavering. “Even- even when he came back, and he and mom seemed to be working through their issues… even last night when I saw how happy she was, when I saw how in love he is with her… still, I couldn’t forgive him. I was still so, so angry! And, now… now, I just feel so guilty,” she practically sobs. “I just feel so guilty because it obviously- because, well, obviously it wasn’t his choice. Like, he couldn’t have chosen to do this if someone else didn’t plant th- those horrible, self-loathing thoughts in his head! He loved mom. And, dad. And, this family. And, all he wanted was for this family to be safe. For _me_to be safe. And, Vincent- what Vincent said basically made him punish himself for it?” she continues, her words a jumbled, emotional mess.

“Hey, there, now,” Marcel sighs, and wraps his arm around her shoulders, pulling her to him. “Don’t feel guilty about it. I mean, yeah, blaming Elijah for abandoning the family was pretty bad. But, I get your side, too. I mean, you were just a kid when this happened, and while everyone else kept in touch, Elijah didn’t. So, I get that you were angry, and of course, now you feel like that anger wasn’t unfounded. But, don’t feel guilty. It’s not your fault, okay?” She nods, though her eyes are still glassy with tears. “Look, Elijah and I have a complicated relationship, but even I know this was messed up,” he adds with a shrug. “And, I just told you because I think you deserve to know, okay?” She nods again, and rests her head on his shoulder.

“Thanks,” she mutters softly, and he nods, squeezing her tightly. “I just- I feel really bad about it. And, I also… part of me wonders if my mom would have gone with him. If I was older. Or, if he didn’t erase his memories of her. Like, part of me feels like I’m the biggest obstacle to their love and happiness,” she whispers, her voice filled with emotion.

“You’re not,” Marcel counters. He turns, and grips her shoulders firmly. “You’re not. You’re the reason they met. And, both your mom and Elijah love you. And, they would both do anything for you. Okay? They, just fell in love, and the universe decided to make it impossibly hard for them to be together. But, their love won in the end. You’re not one of those obstacles. You’re not a mistake, or a curse, or a burden, or whatever you think. You’re this family’s hope. Trust me, okay?” She nods, again, unable to form coherent thoughts. And then, she reaches for him and wraps her arms tightly around him, pulling him in for a hug he returns. And, finally, she bursts into tears.

* * *

Rebekah Mikaelson straightens her hair, and nervously tucks it behind her ear as she takes a sip of her mimosa. Marcel was long gone, but that didn’t surprise it, and she was quite sure that at some point she’d designated him to watch over Hope. She grabs her phone and scrolls through her contacts before finally finding her best friend. She dials, and takes another nervous sip while she looks around Marcel’s loft. [At some point they’d made it here after leaving the wedding venue and having sex in one of the rooms there. They had then proceeded to have more sex at the loft before finally falling asleep].

Hayley picks up on the last ring, “Rebekah?” she asks, her voice hoarse. In the background, Rebekah can hear rummaging around which she’s pretty sure is her brother though she won’t entertain thoughts of what exactly the two were doing.

“Hi,” she greets softly, trying not to sound too nervous.

“_Thanks_.” She hears Hayley say in the background followed by some giggling and a loud smooch. Rebekah rolls her eyes, and takes another sip, downing her mimosa.

“_What does she want?_” It’s Elijah now, and she hears Hayley squeal.

“_I don’t- Elijah, let me- oh, God, Elijah!_” Hayley exclaims with another loud squeal and a giggle. [Rebekah really doesn’t want to think what her brother was doing to her best friend, but the shuffling and loud squeals left little to the imagination].

“Would you to stop acting like two bloody teenagers?” she snaps into the receiver.

“Sorry, Bekah!” the two yell in unison. Hayley clears her throat, and there’s a crash.

“_Alright, I’ll make us breakfast,_” Elijah says, causing Rebekah’s guilt to multiply tenfold.

“Now, what’s up?” Hayley asks.

“I was just wondering if you might spare me a few hours? There was something I need to talk to you about, so I thought you might want to meet me for brunch?” she suggests.

“Uh, I guess, so. I mean, Elijah was about to make breakfast, but I can meet you later?” the vampire wonders. She nods before realizing the other woman can’t see her.

“Shall we say two hours?” Rebekah prompts.

“Yup! Sounds good! Now, can I get back to my boyfriend?” the other woman asks, and Rebekah hears panting on the other end. She scrunches up her face before hanging up.

“Bloody hell,” she mutters, amused.

* * *

“Alright, love, out with it,” Klaus finally says as the two of them walk down Bourbon street. They’d been walking around New Orleans most of the morning, had eaten at a favorite café of Klaus’, and she’d managed to coax him into taking a leisurely stroll down Bourbon street. But, clearly her efforts for stalling hadn’t entirely succeeded.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she quips, plastering on a fake smile. But, Klaus clearly doesn’t buy it, and he grabs onto her arm, keeping her from moving.

“Caroline,” he says softly, looking carefully at her, his eyes searching hers from some hint about the truth. She just blinks at him innocently.

“What? I couldn’t enjoy a day in the Big Easy with the Great Klaus Mikaelson, King of the city?” she retorts, smirking coyly at him. Klaus rolls his eyes.

“A while ago you made grand plans to lock me up in a box and throw me into the ocean, and now you wish you to simply spend time with me?” he asks in mock surprise. “My, how things have changed, Caroline,” he adds, smirking.

“Well,” she says slowly, her gaze flickering to his lips. _Damn it, Caroline. You said you wouldn’t give in to his charm, _she scolds herself mentally. “Things _have _changed. And, like I told you once, you were never the big bad wolf in my story. Now, how about that drink?”

Klaus seems to think it over for a second, though the look in his eyes says otherwise. “On one condition,” he finally says after a few moments’ deliberation.

“And, what would that be?” she quips, biting her lip lightly. [They’re standing so close, that if she tilted her head slightly she could brush her lips against his]. She shakes her head, and rolls her eyes instead, averting her gaze from Klaus’ lips, and to his eyes.

“You reveal to me the ulterior motives of your visit,” he says like it’s obvious. [Which, in hindsight, it is. And, Caroline has to admit that she _should_tell him the truth. After all, she did stay in New Orleans a day longer for this particular reason, and she couldn’t back out of it. Sure, part of her was slightly terrified of how Klaus might take this particular form of bad news, especially considering all the issues between himself and Elijah prior to Elijah’s recovery of his memories. But, really, she was mostly reluctant to tell him because she didn’t want to be the bearer of bad news. She didn’t want to be the one to tell him the truth. Because, she knew how hurt he would be, and that it would be entirely justified].

She ponders this for a few more seconds before, finally, she nods. “Fine, I’ll tell you. But, you’re buying me a drink first,” she concedes, staring into his blue eyes.

“That sounds… reasonable,” the Original hybrid mutters softly, and leans a little closer, and she can feel his breath on her face. [It isn’t lost on her that it seems like something is pulling her to him, that the connection they had once shared is very much obvious, and that he feels it, too. That her deepest, darkest desires had always been for Klaus Mikaelson, and all that being loved by him promises. She’d always been jealous, in a sense, of the passionate, all-consuming love Damon and Elena share, and a little voice inside her head had long been telling her that she could have it, too. Then, as she’d gotten to know Hayley, she’d really seen what soulmates mean, and the fact had only been confirmed the night before when she watched, along with the Mikaelson clan, Hayley and Elijah profess their eternal love for each other, and finally, finally given in to that love]. _Damn it, _she curses in her head. Luckily for her, it’s Klaus who pulls away, breaking the spell. “Shall we, love?” he extends his arm to her. She smiles, and takes it gratefully, allowing him to lead her inside Russeau’s. Josh greets them from the bar, and they order drinks before finding a fairly secluded area.

Caroline takes several nervous sips of her drink while Klaus merely sits back, seemingly amused.

“Something funny?” she shoots, taking another gulp.

“You seem rather nervous. Do I make you nervous, Caroline?” he drawls, peering at her over the rim of his glass.

“In your dreams, Mikaelson,” she retorts, taking another sip. _God, I need another drink, _she muses to herself before downing the rest.

“Joshua! Get the lovely Caroline another one!” Klaus calls out to the bar tender, as if he’d read her mind. Seconds later, Josh reappears, and slides a glass in her direction, his gaze drifting between her and Klaus. She opens her mouth, a comeback on the tip of her tongue, but Josh just shrugs and turns around to return to his duties.

“Now, Caroline, would you please stop stalling!” Klaus finally snaps, just a hint of anger clear in his voice, his facial expression tense, his body taut, and she sighs heavily before taking another sip. “And, don’t give me that bullshit about not knowing what I’m talking about. You very well do! But, you’re avoiding telling me!” he adds, and she winces slightly, because she hadn’t expected for things to escalate. “So, Caroline, would you please tell me what is going on?” he adds, leaning towards her, his gaze meeting hers carefully. She immediately swats him away.

“Don’t think I didn’t take a little vervain before I came into the Mikaelson den!” she hisses. She notices several people looking their way, and takes a few deep, calming breaths. “I said I’d tell you, so I will,” she snaps after a few seconds of silence in which they both stare at each other carefully.

“Well, then, get on with it, love,” he retorts, rolling his eyes before taking another sip. When she hesitates, he continues, though his voice is gentler this time, “Caroline, love, please go on.” When she takes another sip, she can see his patience is wearing thin, but she’s still not sure she can do this. “Oh, come on, love. I won’t bite,” he adds, and she purses her lips. “Well, the upside of that is that I can heal you right away,” he chuckles, and she rolls her eyes.

With a huff and renewed sense of determination, she takes another sip before setting the glass back on the table. “Fine, I’ll tell you. Just don’t kill the messenger,” she says, and Klaus smirks. “Seriously! I’m serious, Klaus. Don’t-”

“Be me?” he retorts, clearly amused.

“Exactly. Don’t go immediately causing some kind of mass murder, or start a war,” she quips. “This has… to do with Elijah, and Hayley in a sense, I guess…” she trails off, biting her lip, but the Original hybrid tenses, and sits up a little straighter. “Rebekah told me yesterday. Well, I sort of forced her to tell me. Anyways. I know how mad you were at him when he didn’t remember you, or Hayley, or Hope, or anyone, and you asked for his help, and he- didn’t want to get involved,” she starts, figuring she might as well start somewhere. “I also know how mad you’ve been at him all these years for giving up on you, on your family. But, maybe you should cut him some slack,” she adds, meeting Klaus’ gaze.

“Really, love? Here I was thinking someone might have finally figured out how we can rid Hope of that bloody Hollow inside her. And, all you were so nervous to tell me was just to not be mad at my brother? I was mad, now I’m not, and Elijah and I are getting along just fine, thank you!” he snaps, taking a large gulp of bourbon before slamming the empty glass on the table. She just sighs, and tucks her hair behind her ear while Klaus bellows for Josh to bring him another one. With a huff, the other vampire comes with two glasses in hand, giving the other one to her.

“On the house,” he murmurs quietly.

“Thanks, Josh,” she smiles, a little too widely, at him. She takes a sip, and turns her attention back to Klaus.

“Seriously! If you would just wait for me to continue, you would know!” she snaps at him, annoyed. “I was going to say that there was a reason for what Elijah did seven years ago. Other than feeling self-sacrificial and having a guilt complex,” she elaborates.

“Do tell,” Klaus encourages, though she can see there’s a tension about him, a certain nervousness.

“I could show you instead,” she tells him, and he nods, so she scoots closer to him, and reaches to cup his cheek. Her gaze flickers to his once more, and her breath hitches in her throat at the spark of electricity she feels when her skin brushes against his. Klaus sighs slowly, and leans ever so slightly into her touch before closing his mind, letting her into his thoughts.

Watching the memory play once more is somehow just as unnerving as the first time around, especially the very end because the words Vincent had uttered to the noble Mikaelson had been ringing in her ear since the night before. She feels Klaus tense beneath her touch before he finally opens his eyes, and Caroline sees the heartbreak and pain in his gaze before he pulls away, throws a few notes on the table and vamp-speeds out of the room.

“Well, this is great,” she groans, her shoulders slumping. “Damn it, that was so not part of my plan,” she mumbles under her breath, and Josh flashes her a comforting glance. And then, she vamp-speeds out of Russeau’s after Klaus.

Thankfully, the hybrid hadn’t gone too far, and she finds him watching an artist paint with a scowl on his face. She stops a few inches away from him, and turns her attention to the artist, although she keeps stealing glances from Klaus. “Didn’t you once tell me art brings you peace?” she quips after a while.

“Didn’t anyone tell you, you’re annoying, Caroline?” he spits, glaring at her.

“Maybe,” she shrugs. Silence descends between them once again as the distance between them decreases. “Klaus,” she says softly, carefully, watching him.

“Caroline,” he quips in a mocking tone. Before she can say something else, retort some sassy remark, he turns around and vamp-speeds away. This time, she doesn’t hesitate, and takes off after him, finding him in an alley nearby.

“Klaus!” she calls out, crossing her arms. 

“I should murder the bastard,” he growls, his entire body rigid. “I should go, and rip him to pieces and make him wish he’d never crossed me or my family!” he roars, his eyes now a stormy blue.

“But, you won’t,” she observes, slightly confused.

“You’re bloody right I won’t! The bloody idiot deserves whatever form of punishment I should enact, but I won’t touch him. Not until _she’s _had her way with him!” he snaps, and both of them know who the ‘she’ he had referred to was. There’s a tense, pregnant pause as the two of them stand in the alley, watching each other carefully. “Does she know?” he demands.

“Yes. Rebekah’s telling her,” she replies curtly. “Also, there’s another reason you shouldn’t hurt Vincent. Hayley’s going to _need _you. So is Elijah. I know you want to kill him, or maim him, or both, but you can’t do that. You can’t be the Klaus Mikaelson that murders first and asks questions later. You have to think and wait,” she tells him seriously, not leaving any room for questions. Klaus doesn’t say anything and continues to glare at her, his lips pursed. “Oh, come on, you know I’m right,” she quips after a while, a small, playful smirk tugging at the corners of her lips.

“Yes, you are, Caroline. You are right. I must be there for my brother, and the mother of my daughter and practically sister-in-law because this might just break them,” he says. “That doesn’t mean I don’t wish to find Vincent right now and kill him. I could kill him slowly, painfully. Draw it out for a few days. Perhaps start with his limbs and move on to his insides. Or, I could do it swiftly. Rip his heart out or snap his neck. He’s a witch, so he’s rather killable. Of course, lack of supernatural healing means I can’t devise a very painful death since the poor bastard won’t last long. He’ll be begging for me to end it,” the Original hybrid continues, a small, self-satisfied smirk tugging on his lips.

“Klaus!” she snaps, and he blinks.

“Don’t worry, love. I won’t do anything to dear, old Vincent… yet,” he chuckles, amused.

Just then, her phone pings with a simple message.

“What is it?” he asks, his expression becoming worried. She just raises her phone for him to see. With a swift nod, he vamp-speeds away, and Caroline is left alone, standing in an alley. With a huff, she decides to head back into Russeau’s and grab another drink.


	10. Nothing Really Lasts Forever

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hayley finally finds out the truth about what Vincent said to Elijah. Caroline and Klaus get closer. Elijah has a question for Hayley.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two updates in a span of a few days! Yay me! I hope this update will keep you all happy for the next week or so as I'm entering exam time, and have deadlines coming up soon! But, if I do manage to get chapter 11 out by the end of next week, I'll post it in 2 weeks! Hope you enjoy this one!

Rebekah Mikaelson glances at her watch before looking around Marcel’s loft once more. Her dress from the wedding was somewhere between the door and Marcel’s bedroom, and more evidence of their night before is strewn all over the place, and she smiles fondly as she recalls the way Marcel had pinned her against the wall while his mouth had done delicious things to her. Damn it, stop thinking about it. _It was one night, one moment of weakness, _she berates herself. After speaking to Hayley, she’d gone back to the compound to change before going back to Marcel’s to kill time. She’s not sure why, but she did. And, now she had just ten minutes till she was to meet Hayley, and she’d had quite a few mimosa’s (the champagne being from the wedding), so she decides to just vamp-speed to the small, cozy café they’d agreed to meet at.

Hayley arrives a few minutes after she does, and Rebekah almost does a double take. The vampire’s skin is practically glowing, and her short hair has that fluffy, wavy quality that takes most people an entire day at the hair salon to achieve. She’s wearing dark green tights and a black printed dress paired with a leather jacket and combat boots. [And, Rebekah’s heart breaks, because she’s about to break Hayley’s heart. The last time she’d invited her out to give her bad news about Elijah had not ended well, and she can only hope it’s not a repeat. But, she smiles, and composes herself, standing to greet her almost sister-in-law].

“You’d think you’re the one who got married,” she quips, smiling smugly as she reaches to hug her. Hayley laughs, ducking her head bashfully, and returns the hug before the two of them sit down.

“Well…” the vampire trails off, shrugging. “Hello to you, too, Rebekah,” she adds by way of greeting. The blonde smiles as a waiter arrives and takes their orders.

“Hi,” she greets in return, smiling softly at the other woman. “I do hope you enjoyed the house. Lot of bloody work went into it,” she adds, smirking smugly. [She is proud of the house and how well it had turned out, and she’d hoped Elijah and Hayley would get to enjoy it]. “I mean, judging by our conversation this morning, it sounds like you enjoyed your company. But, I do hope the house was to your liking as well.” Hayley grins, and Rebekah’s positive she’s also blushing, and averts her gaze. The waiter arrives with two cups of coffee, and the vampire takes a sip.

“Well, yes, I did. Enjoy the company,” she replies, and blushes even more, causing Rebekah to giggle unexpectedly. “And, the house, too. The foyer is really nice, got to see it up close…” she trails off.

“I’m sure you did, love,” she quips, rolling her eyes. “Alas, I do not need the sordid details. As much as it would entertain me to hear of your sex life, that sex life includes my brother. And, I certainly don’t need to hear that,” she adds, chuckling.

“Right… err, sorry,” Hayley glances down, blushing a little. “But, the house _is _really nice. Thank you for decorating it and taking care of it. Honestly, Rebekah, thank you,” the brunette tells her.

“You’re welcome. You are family after all, Hayley. I’d do anything for family,” she replies. They settle into a comfortable silence as the waiter arrives with their food and they start to eat.

“Anyways, what about you? What happened after we left the wedding?” Hayley asks, changing the subject, and Rebekah can’t help but be happy to comply.

“Well, there was more dancing and drinking, which was charming. Klaus and Caroline shared a dance, and almost kissed if I hadn’t interrupted. My mistake. Freya and Keelin are as happy as two newlyweds can be, off to enjoy a few days of uninterrupted bliss before the craziness calls them back. Kol and Davina left, too, but I expect we’ll see them. Hope enjoyed herself, and so did Josh. Everyone had a charming time, as did you, I’m sure,” she recounts.

“That’s nice. I’m glad. Everything’s been so crazy, we all deserved some time off. Speaking of, you conveniently left out yourself and one Marcel Gerard from this equation of charming time,” Hayley quips, giving her a suspicious look.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. Marcel was there, and so was I,” she says vaguely, though her flutters at the thought of the Enhanced Original.

“Right,” Hayley rolls her eyes. “Don’t bullshit me, Rebekah. I know you. And, I know how you feel about Marcel. So, you better fess up and tell me what happened between you and Marcel,” she says firmly, and Rebekah sighs, dropping her head in defeat.

“Fine,” she grumbles before looking back up, and Hayley flashes her a daring look. “We may or may not have spent the night… together,” she admits, and immediately looks away.

“Spent the night? Which, in your terms means you had mind-blowing sex all night, right?” Hayley immediately smirks. Furrowing her brow for a second, a look of realization crosses the younger vampire’s face. “Oh my God. You had hot hot sex with Marcel at the wedding venue?” Rebekah just looks down, and nods slightly. “Bekah…”

“All right, yes! You’re bloody right. I had a bloody good time with Marcel after the party dissipated which most certainly included some mind-blowing sex, too. And, we moved our proclivities to his loft at some point. Happy now?” she snaps, though she’s only a little annoyed. The other woman just snorts.

“Very,” she grins. Silence settles between them as they finish their food before ordering desert. “And?”

“And what?” Rebekah attempts to seem unaffected.

“You know what!” Hayley retorts. When she doesn’t say anything, the short-haired vampire groans and rolls her eyes. “Rebekah Mikaelson, I have known you for almost sixteen years, and trust me when I say, I know you. Now, days ago you would not hear about Marcel and thought the proposal fiasco was stupid.”

“It was. Bloody idiotic,” Rebekah cuts in, and Hayley rolls her eyes again.

“Well, I don’t think so. And, I think you know that. Or, well, your response to it was,” Hayley remarks.

“What do you mean?”

“What I mean, Rebekah, is that you’re kind of an idiot,” Hayley informs her, her voice completely deadpan, and Rebekah can’t help but stare at her. “You said you don’t want to marry Marcel because you wanted to set him free, right? Because you want a human life, and Marcel is comfortable with being a vampire, despite Caroline pointing out that having love is worth more. Because, Rebekah, you’re never going to get that human life. Which sucks, yes, but life isn’t fair. You have this life. This messy, complicated, millennia-long life. And, you could go at it alone, you could. But, it’s going to be boring and without context. Unless, you say yes to Marcel. Don’t you see, Rebekah?” the vampire bursts out, and Rebekah’s chest tightens at the obvious truth in Hayley’s words. “Marcel _is_ your context. He is your one big, totally epic love that spanned centuries. Freaking centuries, Bekah. A love like that doesn’t die, it will always be there. And, you could have it. But, so far, you’ve chosen not to. Instead, you continue to live in the land of denial, and just had mind-blowing all-night-long sex with him while pretending it didn’t mean what it did. So, yes, Rebekah, you’re an idiot. An idiot for ignoring the life you could have, for robbing yourself of epic love.” The words tumble out of Hayley’s mouth, and Rebekah can’t help but stare at her, though she is right. [Briefly, she wonders how Hayley had acquired all this knowledge, but she didn’t have to wonder for long. And, she hates how ultimately, she is going to have to be the one to shatter Hayley’s perfect world to pieces]. She nods, smiling meekly.

* * *

“All right, yes, I suppose you’re bloody right, Marshall,” Rebekah quips after she’d finished with her rant. [Hayley’s not sure where this whole speech in regards to Rebekah and Marcel’s predicament had come from, so she attributes it to the fact that for once, her own love life is not in shambles. Now, her and Elijah were finally actually together, a fact that they’d celebrated all night with copious amounts of lovemaking, followed by more sex in the morning. At one point, she’d had to pull away just to rest long enough to be able to go meet with Rebekah].

“I know,” she retorts, amused. “And, you can repay me by giving me maid of honor at your wedding,” she adds, chuckling.

“Yes, yes, all right,” Rebekah rolls her eyes, and they fall into silence yet again, though it’s not as uncomfortable. And, it’s only exacerbated by the sinking realization she has. The realization being that Rebekah is keeping something from her, that she’d had another reason for wanting to meet her. The former hybrid sits up straight, and crosses her arms over her chest.

“All right, Beks, out with it!” she snaps, pursing her lips. A look of confusion flashes over Rebekah’s face before it flickers to fear, and confusion again. _Should’ve know she’s hiding something. Of course, she didn’t just want to meet up! _She berates herself internally. “Come on, out with it, enough stalling.”

“I don’t know what you mean,” Rebekah feigns confusion once more, but Hayley’s not buying it.

“Rebekah, I love you, but I also know you’re hiding something. I know you, I can sense when you’re doing this, and I know you’re doing it now. So, please tell me what the hell is going on!” she exclaims, becoming more and more irritated.

“Um, I…” the blonde bites her lip nervously, and Hayley bristles.

“Rebekah, for the love of God, if you don’t tell me what is going on, I’m going to call Klaus. Or, Marcel. Or, whoever knows what the fuck you’re hiding!” she practically growls the last part, glaring furiously at Rebekah. “Look, the last time you did this – took me out for lunch and chit chat, you told me the love of my life erased his memories of me!” she snaps, and at this Rebekah freezes. Hayley’s heartbeat is racing as she continues to stare at her best friend, still confused, her eyebrows furrowed, but she’d clearly hit a nerve.

“Who is it, Bekah? Is it… is it Klaus?” she asks, biting her lip. Rebekah shakes her head. “Someone else from the family? Kol? Davina? Freya or Keelin?” she asks, but Rebekah still shakes her head. Her throat constricts, and she swallows thickly. “Is it… is it Hope?” she asks, her voice trembling.

“No,” Rebekah replies, her own voice just as pained. Then, it dawns on her, and her blood runs cold as her heartbeat races.

“Is it… it- it’s Elijah, isn’t it?” she almost chokes out. Rebekah nods, her own expression wrecked. “Wh- what is it? Is he- he’s leaving me, right?” she practically whimpers, and Rebekah reaches to take her hand across the table.

“No, he’s not, love. He’s not leaving you, of course not. He’s just- I j- just, um-” Rebekah starts to explain, but words seem to have failed her, a rare occurrence for a Mikaelson.

“Rebekah, whatever it is, tell me. Or, show me. I don’t care, I just- I just want to be sure Elijah’s okay,” she says softly. Rebekah nods.

“You ought to know, Hayley. I just- I’ve been dreading telling you, and I thought- I didn’t know how. I don’t know how,” the blonde tells her, her eyes filled with tears, and this shakes Hayley. Because the way Rebekah is reluctant to tell her is worse than when she hauled her all the way to New York to tell her Elijah had his memories of her erased.

“What is it Rebekah?” she demands in near tears. “Tell me, for God’s sakes because I can’t- I need to know!” she cries hysterically, reaching to grab Rebekah’s hand, part of her hoping to simply get her point across, the other to maybe get into Rebekah’s head. But, the blonde catches her hand, and Hayley’s attempt at a head dive is stopped. “Just- please, Bekah, tell me,” she whimpers. Finally, Rebekah’s shoulders slump in defeat and the blonde huffs.

“Fine. I’ll just- I’ll just show you,” she sighs. Then, she pulls her chair closer to Hayley and reaches to grasp the side of her head firmly. [To anyone else, it might look like they’re girlfriends, or whatever, but Hayley doesn’t give a damn what anyone thinks of this].

At first, she sees Marcel and Rebekah in the compound, and it doesn’t take long to realize this was the day of the wedding. The former hybrid swallows back tears as she watches, and it’s obvious Rebekah was berating Marcel about something.

_“Don’t bullshit me, Marcel! What the hell did you mean when you said that Elijah’s decision was because of what Vincent said to him?” Rebekah yells in a demanding tone, not beating around the bush. “And, just what did Vincent say to him, pray tell?”_

_“Nothing. It was just- doesn’t matter,” Marcel mutters, brushing it off, but Rebekah clearly doesn’t believe him. _

_“Oh, come on, Marcel! You’re lying to me! I know you, I’ve known you for so long, I know when you’re lying and you’re lying now!” she yells, her voice emotional as she steps closer to him. Marcel’s jaw is sat, and he doesn’t say anything, refusing to meet her gaze. Slowly, he stands up, moving to walk out, but she won’t let him. Instead, she reaches for his wrist, gripping it painfully, breaking down the protective barriers to his mind._

The memory Rebekah sees in Marcel’s head is in Lafayette Cemetery, and Hayley swallows thickly. She sees Elijah, Vincent and the four Harvest girls lying on the ground, and immediately knows when this had happened (seven years ago when they were trying to get rid of the Hollow and Elijah had Vincent perform the ritual).

_Elijah starts walking away, but Vincent turns and stops him, “Elijah, let me ask you a question. Do you remember what it’s like to be a human being?” _

_“Not really,” Elijah says softly, his voice sad. _

_“Cause you just put four little girls’ lives at risk,” Vincent presses angrily. _

_“I’m trying, Vincent,” Elijah sighs sadly, though she can see his shoulders slump in defeat. “I-” he starts to say, but cuts himself off. There’s pregnant pause before he continues, “now whatever happened tonight, we prevented the city from being destroyed-” he tries to argue, but this time it’s Vincent who cuts him off. _

_“What happens if what we did didn’t work tonight?” he counters angrily. Elijah scoffs. _

_“It did,” he retorts, his jaw set. “But now we have an ally against the Hollow,” he adds. _

_“Yeah, Elijah,” Vincent mutters and sniffles. “You’re an infection on my city,” he adds, and Rebekah can’t help but flinch at the harsh words. In the memory, she sees the way Elijah’s jaw is set and knows how it hits him, though he doesn’t show it. Instead, he just stands there, his expression devoid of emotion as Vincent tears into him. “You have absolutely no virtue and you have no value here, or wherever it is that you decide to drag yourself next. I feel sorry for the little girl that she’s got to be raised in a household with a punk like you,” he spits out the word, pure disgust and hatred in his eyes, and Rebekah grips Marcel’s arm tightly. “And, I’m going to be praying for her soul. Because I know you ain’t got one, Elijah,” he says his name in disdain before walking away._

Rebekah drops her hand which falls down in her lap.

“Hayley-” But, Hayley feels as if she cannot breathe, as if for whatever reason all air had left her lungs, as if her chest was on fire.

“Oh, Gods,” she mutters before tears finally start falling down her cheeks.

“I’m so sorry, Hayley,” Rebekah murmurs softly, caressing her arm gently.

“Oh, Gods, he- this was why! This was why Elijah- oh!” she sobs, putting her head in her hands as more tears continue to stream down her face. Then, she feels arms around her and sees blonde hair through her tears, so she returns the hug, clinging desperately o Rebekah. “God, I am so awful!” she sobs.

“What? No, Hayley, bloody hell… you’re not awful! Why would you say that?” Rebekah asks as she continues to pat her back.

“B- bbec- ccasuse-” Hayley blubbers before sobbing loudly again. “I- I was s- sso- awful to him!” she cries hysterically.

“Shh, Hayley, shh, it’s okay, it’s going to be okay,” Rebekah murmurs softly in her ear as Hayley continues to cling to her, crying hysterically. Eventually, she manages to calm herself, and she pulls away to look back at Rebekah, sniffling, and trying to wipe away her tears with her hand. “Oh, Hayley, I’m so sorry. Honestly, Vincent was just bloody awful,” the blonde Mikaelson says sadly.

“Yeah… he was. But, I- I was even more awful,” she mumbles sadly.

“What? No, Hayley, you-” Rebekah immediately exclaims, protesting vehemently, but she doesn’t let her. [The thought that she hadn’t known about this, that Elijah hadn’t told her, that she hadn’t noticed anything, sickens her. And, the way she acted towards him, how cold she was to him, especially after the pendant. _Oh, God, the pendant, _she realizes, and her blood runs cold. _I am officially the worst person ever, and Elijah is a saint for forgiving me, she tells herself, _her heart breaking, wracked with guilt].

“No, Rebekah, I am,” she snaps, filled with sadness. “I am just the worst. I was the worst girlfriend ever- I mean, okay, Elijah and I never put a label on it, but I was the worst because I didn’t even think, or notice something was wrong, that he was hurting. I was so consumed to get rid of the fucking Hollow, I didn’t even notice my own- Elijah was in pain. That he was in the worst possible headspace from Vincent’s words. And then, when he went into the pendant, he was in that worst possible headspace when he did, so obviously he chose the worst part of himself, and then the way I fucking acted like such a bitch!” The words tumble out of her mouth, and Rebekah just stares at her shocked. “I just- I feel so guilty, just so fucking guilty!” she yells, and gasps before biting her lip hard to keep from crying hysterically. “It’s all my fault, all my fucking fault!” she practically wails.

“No, Hayley, stop it! Don’t you dare blame yourself, Hayley Marshall!” Rebekah says firmly. “Yes, you made a mistake seven years ago, but it’s not just your fault. You know Elijah is a bloody martyr, if you didn’t find out, maybe he didn’t want you to,” she tells her. “But, honestly, it’s not even Elijah’s fault, if it’s anyone’s fault, it’s Vincent’s. He’s an arse, and a monster,” Rebekah adds, and at the mention of the former Regent’s name, Hayley’s sees red.

“Rebekah?”

“Yeah?”

“Do you happen to have your trusty make up bag?” she asks, her lips pursed. [She knew she must look horrendous, and she wasn’t about to walk around New Orleans looking like she did].

“Uh, yes?” the other woman peers at her, confused.

“Good.” Wordlessly, Rebekah hands her the small bag, and Hayley gets up to go to the bathroom. After washing her face and reapplying her makeup, she reemerges and joins Rebekah.

“Okay, where are you going?” the blonde enquires as Hayley hands her the makeup bag back.

“Lafayette Cemetery.” And then, she vamp-speeds away.

* * *

People stare as they watched her stride towards Lafayette Cemetery, though nobody tries to stop her. Her entire body shakes with anger and her blood boils as her eyes scan her surroundings, looking for a particular person. And then, she sees him and she beelines for him. Vincent clearly hadn’t been expecting it because he stares at her dumbfounded as she stalks towards him.

“How fucking dare you?” she yells once she’s within his earshot. He opens his mouth to say something, to ask her what was going on, but Hayley doesn’t let him. “How could you?” she yells, glaring at him.

“Hayley, what is-” this time, he’d managed to say something, but before he could finish, she cuts him off.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” she screams, her voice louder now, higher pitched.

“Hayley, please, calm down, y- you’re makin’ a scene-”

“Oh? I’m making a scene? I don’t care if I’m making a scene! You stole seven years from me! How could you?” she screams yet again, and she can feel tears prickling at her eyes, but she blinks them away. [Now is not the time to cry, and she won’t give Vincent the satisfaction of seeing her cry]. “You stole seven years from me, Vincent! Seven. _Years_.” Her voice drops to a hiss on the last part as she continues to glare at him.

“Hayley, what’s goin’ on-”

“Do not pretend you don’t know what I’m talking about! You told Elijah-” she cuts herself off, shuddering as she remembers seeing the memory Rebekah had shown her. “You told him he was an infection on your city- which, by the way, New Orleans is not _your_city! You told him- God, how could you fucking say that? Do you really hate him that much? Because, you pushed him so far down his personal rabbit hole – you made him hate himself more than he already did – that he- that he saw no way out but to have him forget everything and everyone including me. That is pain you put both of us through-” this time he manages to cut her off.

“Now, Hayley, that pain has hardly anythin’ to do with me!” he exclaims, though his tone remains measured and calm.

“Really? Do you really believe that?” she screams, on the verge of tears, but she blinks them away. “Because the reasons we hurt each other were because of you! What happened in the pendant-” he cuts her off, trying to defend, or explain, but Hayley doesn’t care.

“Wasn’t my fault, Hayley, I-” she doesn’t let him finish.

“You don’t know what happened in the pendant, so don’t even think about going there! But, because of you he was already in a bad place when Freya put him inside her pendant and his mind shattered! So, he chose the darkest part of himself to revert into! He’s a more-than-a-thousand years old vampire with PTSD, OCD and co-dependency! What the hell do you think telling him he was an infection with no value and no virtue did to him? Not to mention that this is what led to Elijah erasing his memories of me! This is why he chose to forget me and the rest of us! Because you basically flat out told him the world would be better off without him!” Tears were threatening to spill from her eyes, but Hayley didn’t care because Vincent had hurt Elijah and she wasn’t going to let it pass. “How could you do that to us?” she huffs, trying to catch her breath.

“Hayley, I-” Vincent’s latest attempt at saying something results in Hayley vamp-speeding towards him, glaring menacingly at him.

“You took away Freya’s brother, and you claim to be her best friend. You took away the one person who could calm Klaus down, even just through a phone call. You took away Hope’s uncle, and when her paranoid, control freak father pulled away because he was scared, and she needed someone – her uncle – she didn’t have that. And, you took away my soulmate, the one person who loves me more than anything, the love of my life… you took that away from me! You knew what happened when Rebekah told me about what Elijah did – what you made him do – and like a coward you didn’t say anything! I trusted you – for seven years – I worked with you, I built this city back up with you! And, you had driven away the love of my life!” she practically growls the last part, and she sees a hint of fear in Vincent’s eyes. “And, you were such a coward because you didn’t say a word! You still are!” she screams. She lunges for him, reaching to wrap her hand around his neck and shove him against one of the walls of Lafayette cemetery. She smells blood, and part of her, a tiny part of her feels a bit better, but the rest of her is still angry. And then, there is a hand on her arm, prying away her fingers, loosening the grip on Vincent’s neck, and she looks to the side to find Klaus being the one stopping her.

“Klaus-” she starts to protest, but Klaus shakes his head and gently pulls her away from Vincent.

“Little Wolf, please, don’t,” he says softly, a grave look on his face. “Let him go,” he adds in a hushed whisper. “He,” Klaus says more loudly, loud enough for Vincent to hear, “doesn’t deserve it!”

Hayley just purses her lips as tears spill over her cheeks. “How could he?” she mutters, her voice wavering, and she inhales sharply. “How?”

“He was being cruel, Little Wolf. Some people are,” he mutters, turning to glare at Vincent. “But you do not need to demean yourself to his level. And, while I would love to watch you tear him to pieces, Vincent may prove himself to be occasionally useful-” Klaus continues, but Vincent interrupts him.

“Uh, right here,” he says, which only serves to anger both Klaus and Hayley.

“Quiet! I am not quite done with you!” Klaus growls menacingly before turning back to Hayley. “Elijah needs you, Hayley. He needs you to tell him Vincent was wrong because he won’t believe me, or Rebekah, or Kol,” he adds. “He needs you,” he repeats and she nods. Once Klaus lets her go, she takes one last look behind her, flashing Vincent an unforgiving glare before vamp-speeding out of the cemetery.

* * *

“Klaus!” Caroline Forbes-Salvatore snaps as she enters the cemetery, finding that between her arrival and Hayley’s departure, the Original hybrid had managed to pin Vincent to one of the stone walls of one the graves, and the witch’s feet were dangling above the ground. She watches the scene in front of her carefully for a few more seconds before clearing her throat. Finally, Klaus glances over at her, though he doesn’t move from his position, and Vincent grunts.

“Caroline,” he greets her, and she can see a smug smirk tugging at the corners of his lips. “How lovely of you to come. Care to join us?” he quips as she moves closer, arms crossed over her chest. She flashes him a fake smile.

“Thanks, but no, thanks. Now, will you please put him down?” she says, her voice firm, as if she was talking to one of her students. Klaus ignored her, which only made her scowl more. [Sure, she understood the source of Klaus’ anger. Hell, she was angry, too, on Hayley’s behalf. _Okay, and Klaus’ just a bit, _but she wasn’t going to admit that to herself. But, she saw no reason for Vincent to die. She told herself it was because Vincent was well-known member of the witch faction in New Orleans, because this would mean war]. “Klaus!” she hisses, glaring at him. “Put him down, now! You don’t want to start a war,” she adds, trying to be rational. Finally, the hybrid turns to her with a withering glare and a scowl.

“Like you said, love. Thanks, but no, thanks,” he growls before lifting Vincent up, and Caroline’s breath hitches in her throat, for a brief second wondering if Klaus might let him go. Alas, he doesn’t, and instead slams the witch hard against the wall, his head connecting with a loud crack. Caroline freezes at the smell of blood, and inhales sharply, but is mostly unaffected.

“Klaus!” she yells. “Are you trying to start a war? Because, that’s what’s going to happen when you kill a former Regent of New Orleans. Do you really want another war on your hands?”

“Well, love,” he seethes, “I wouldn’t mind. I mean, blood and mass murder are my thing,” he drawls, repeating his earlier action (lifting Vincent away from the wall before slamming him against it, harder than before).

“Klaus,” the blonde gasps, and swallows thickly. “Put. Him. Down,” she growls, but the hybrid doesn’t even flinch.

“Why should I?” he growls, turning to flash her another withering glare before lifting Vincent up high and slamming him against the stone wall, hard. Blood splatters all over, and Vincent groans, though she can see he’s losing consciousness. “Why should I have mercy on him?” he roars. “_He _does not deserve it!”

“Klaus,” she says, slowly, carefully, switching tactics. [She was getting nowhere being Headmistress Forbes-Salvatore, so she decided to appeal to Klaus’ merciful side. Not that he had much of one as it was, but he is no longer the same Original hybrid she had met in Mystic Falls. He _is _different. A better man]. “You aren’t- this isn’t who you really are,” she starts slowly, but he doesn’t say anything, doesn’t give any sort of indication he had heard her. “You’re a good man. A good father. I know you’re upset; I know this hurts you. I know it’s because Elijah is your brother, and you were so angry when he decided to erase his memories,” she continues, and pauses for a second when Klaus finally looks over at her. For a second, neither of them says anything, but the silence _is _broken.

“Don’t-” Vincent chokes out, but is entirely cut off by Klaus tightening his grip on his neck.

“Quiet!” the Original roars loudly, and Caroline takes a deep breath before stepping closer to him.

The witch falls silent, so Caroline continues, “you were so angry. And, now you know it was because of what Vincent said, and you’re angry at him. You should be. What he said was cruel,” she asserts. “_But_, that doesn’t mean you should kill him. Just let him go,” she adds, her voice taking on a softer, gentler quality. Klaus doesn’t say anything in response, standing still, his hand gripping Vincent’s throat tightly, forcefully, his posture rigid. He grunts, and his scowl deepens as Caroline tries to meet his gaze. “Just let him go. Besides, it’s not worth it. You need to be there for both of them. You need to be there for your family,” she continues. Again, he grunts. “Do it for Hope,” she whispers quietly. [It’s basically a hail Mary. If bringing up his daughter doesn’t make Klaus let go of Vincent, then Caroline’s pretty sure Vincent is done for. Because, from one look at the former Regent, it’s clear he doesn’t have long to live unless Klaus lets him go. Sure, she might be able to use force to get Klaus off of Vincent, but there’s no way she’d win in a fight against Klaus Mikaelson].

“What?” Klaus asks, surprise clear in his eyes as they meet hers.

“I said,” she pauses, “do it for Hope. For your daughter. Do you really want to ruin your relationship with her? She’s only just started to see you, to understand you, to love you for not being perfect. She’s not a kid anymore, yes, and doesn’t think you’re some kind of saint. But, that doesn’t mean she’ll be able to look you in the eye if you kill Vincent,” she continues, her voice soft. [Part of her itches to touch him, to pry his fingers from around Vincent’s neck, to- Caroline doesn’t finish the thought. _What the hell is wrong with you? Get a grip, _he scolds herself. But, even as she does, she continues to look into Klaus’ eyes]. “And, honestly, will you be able to look Hope in the eye if you do it?” she adds softly, her voice trembling slightly with emotion.

For a second, it feels like time had stopped. Klaus gapes at her for a few seconds, surprise written all over his face before finally, he lets go of Vincent. The former Regent falls to the ground, and she catches him, though maybe she shouldn’t have. Once he straightens himself, and turns to face them, it’s her turn to glare at him. She plasters on a sweet smile, but her voice drips with venom.

“I suggest you leave. Because, I don’t think I can talk down the entire Mikaelson family down from killing you. And, maybe I don’t even want to. What you said was low and cruel, and what was worse was you lied to Hayley and Freya for years after. You caused irreparable damage, and I don’t think the Mikaelsons will forgive and forget this one. So, leave. Find somewhere else to be. Before Klaus changes his mind, or before Hayley, or any of the others come back,” she hisses the last part. Vincent nods, but doesn’t move. Klaus rolls his eyes beside her. “GO!” she screams, and he turns and leaves.

With Vincent gone, both her and Klaus sigh heavily, and Caroline can’t help but glance at him nervously. He looks exhausted, and the angry scowl is replaced by a sad, almost heartbroken look as they both lean against the stone wall.

“You okay?” she asks, her voice barely above a whisper. Klaus barely gives her a nod, and they descend into silence once more.

“Klaus-” she starts, but he cuts her off.

“Don’t worry, love, I’m fine,” he mutters, though the emotion in his voice betrays him.

“I’m sorry, I just-” she mumbles, biting her lower lip, unsure what else she could possibly say, but Klaus cuts her off once more.

“It’s not your fault, Caroline,” he says softly. “You just- you reminded me of Camille,” he adds, his eyes slightly watery.

“Oh,” she sighs, not sure quite what to say, but also overcome by a sense of understanding, of comfort. She doesn’t say anything then, not that there is anything she _can _say, so she just reaches across the small space between them and takes his hand in hers, lacing her fingers with his loosely. Klaus doesn’t pull away, and squeezes her hand lightly in gratitude. He doesn’t say it, but the look he gives her conveys his ‘thank you’ entirely. Silence descends between them once more, but it’s comforting this time, and they stay like that for a few more seconds, or minutes, she’s not sure. Finally, Klaus straightens himself, though he doesn’t drop her hand, so he pulls her along with him.

“Shall we go then, love?” he flashes her a small smile. She nods.

“Yeah. We should probably head back,” she nods, smiling back. Then, their gazes inevitably drift to their still joined hands, and Klaus pulls away. She averts her gaze, licking her lip nervously, and the Original frowns slightly.

“Right. Well, we should, uh, we should just go back to the compound,” he mutters awkwardly.

“Yeah. Yes, we should,” she agrees, just as awkwardly, and plasters on a fake smile. When neither of them move, she clears her throat, “uh, lead the way, Mikaelson.” Klaus nods, and the two start walking back. Although, they could have both vamp-sped home, neither of them is in a hurry to get there, so they stop once they arrive in the Quarter, walking at a leisurely pace, their hands brushing lightly. Caroline itches to reach for his hand, and is certain she’s pretty much screwed because whatever feelings she had buried deep inside beneath hostility, and later lighthearted banter, are still there.

* * *

Her mind still spinning, and running mostly on instinct as a result, Hayley goes to look for Elijah at their home. She finds all the lights off at the house, though there is a soft glow that looks like candlelight. Hayley wipes away the tears on her cheeks and moves towards the front door, hoping it won’t be too obvious she’d been crying, though Elijah would know. He knows her too well. She reaches for the doorknob and twists it before stepping inside.

“Elijah?” she calls out for him, and once she is inside she notices that the only light comes from the direction of the deck, so she moves in that direction. There are tea lights illuminating her path, and Hayley wonders if they’d had a date planned, even though part of her knows there is something else. “Elijah, are you home?” she asks just as she enters the living room that leads to the deck overlooking the lake. And, she stops dead in her tracks. The French doors leading to the deck were open and the deck was filled with tea lights, casting a soft glow all over it. And, in the middle of the deck stood Elijah, wearing a perfectly pressed suit. He’d been looking out, but when he hears her, he turns. “Elijah,” she mutters softly as she walks towards him, her heart hammering in her chest.

“Hi,” he says softly, and the moment she is within reach he reaches for her and pulls her closer before gently pressing his lips to hers. Hayley responds immediately, deepening the kiss and winding her arms around his neck, pressing herself closer to him as she loses herself in the kiss. Their tongues tangle together for a few seconds before, reluctantly, they pull away, though Elijah rests his forehead on hers. “You okay?” he asks her, and Hayley feels tears prickling at her eyes even as she nods. He furrows his eyebrows, but she just shakes her head.

“I’m fine, I was just- I love you, Elijah,” she tells him, reaching to stroke his jaw. He smiles at her.

“Me too,” he says simply. And then, he takes a step back, and before Hayley can really process it, he is on one knee, reaching for her hand.

“Elijah…” she gasps, stunned.

“Hayley Marshall, ever since the moment I met you I knew I had found the person I was meant to spend the rest of my life with. The person I was destined for. But, I was too scared to admit my feelings, too set in my ways to see what was right in front of me. I fell for you. I fell madly in love with you. You once told me you have felt everything for me since the moment we met, and Hayley, it was mutual. It has always been mutual. I am sorry I was never able to tell you how I felt- how I’ve always felt for you. Because I have always loved you, Hayley Marshall, and I always will. My soul will always be tied to yours. Even when I had forgotten you, my mind may not have known who you were, but my heart and soul did. We had a profound connection even when you came to Mannosque five years ago. I don’t want to let you go, Hayley. Ever. You are my soulmate, and I am never letting you go. I promise you that. I let you in, Hayley. I don’t let people in, but I let you in. You know me, better than anyone, you know me, and you are still somehow here. We’ve hurt each other, tremendously, and yet you’ve still somehow forgiven me. And, despite all we’ve done, all the ways we’ve hurt each other, the mistakes we’ve made, we are still here, now. And, you’re right Hayley, about living in the now. I once told you that your heart was too good to be that of a Mikaelson, but perhaps, it is the idea of being a Mikaelson that needs to change. Perhaps there is space for good people in this family,” he says, and Hayley is on the verge of tears as he reaches into his pocket to pull out a small velvet box. “You know you have always been a Mikaelson, but I would like it to be official, if you’d let me. Hayley Marshall, will you do me the utmost honor of marrying me and becoming Hayley Mikaelson?” he finally asks as he opens the box to reveal a diamond ring. “Will you marry me?”

The ring is beautiful. The centerpiece is a princess cut clear diamond, with two smaller, though similar diamonds on either side, the yellow gold band studded with small diamonds. Hayley can only nod, tears threatening to spill from her eyes before she finally manages to say, “yes. Yes, Elijah, yes, I’ll marry you!” Gently, Elijah fits the ring on her finger before standing up and wrapping his arms around hers as she winds her arms around his neck, and their lips meet halfway for a searing, passionate kiss. When air becomes a necessity and they finally pull away, Elijah looks at her in concern, clearly sensing that something wasn’t right. And, Hayley bursts into tears.

“Hayley? Hayley, what’s wrong? What is it?” Elijah asks in concern, searching for a sign of what was wrong, but Hayley couldn’t help herself as tears streamed down her face. “Hayley, what is it?” he asks, clearly worried, but she just shakes her head. “Hayley, please, tell me,” he begs her, his hand still gripping her waist, concern etched all over his face. [Part of her doesn’t want to tell him, doesn’t want to remind him of what had happened with Vincent, but the other part of her knows that she has to].

“I know,” she mutters, her breath hitching in her throat as she tries to calm down. “I know,” she repeats, still the only two words she can manage to say.

“You know what?” he asks her, clearly confused, but all she can do is cry. And, all Elijah can do is wrap his arms around her, pulling her to him while she sobs relentlessly. He tries to ask her again, but she just continues to cry. And then, it clicks. “_Fuck,_” Elijah mutters quietly, freezing as he continues to hold her. Hayley pulls away, shocked at his choice of words, and even more so by the tears in his eyes and the way his lower lip trembles. Her shoulders slump, and she sniffles, trying to gain control of her breathing, but it’s coming out in short gasps.

“Elijah,” she mutters, and watches as he shuts his eyes briefly, but doesn’t say anything, so she continues to stare at him, tears falling down her cheeks. “Elijah,” she mutters, and he opens his eyes, still tear-filled, and she reaches for him, her hands grasping his, running her thumbs over his knuckles, fingering his daylight ring.

“Hayley… please forgive me,” he mutters quietly, so quietly if she hadn’t been a vampire and sitting so close to him, she wouldn’t have heard it.

“What? No- that’s-” she cuts herself off, and squeezes his hands, gazing deeply into his eyes, willing him to understand. “That’s not what this means. I- _I _am sorry, Elijah! You don’t get to be sorry. I’m the one who- _I’m sorry_. I am so sorry.” The words tumble out of her mouth, and she practically sobs as she pulls her hands away from his only to cup his cheeks, her thumbs caressing his jaw. Her lips descend onto his, and he kisses her back immediately, his hands reaching to grasp her waist firmly, pulling her to him. His cheeks are salty with his tears, and so are hers, but Hayley doesn’t care as she continues to kiss Elijah Mikaelson. Desperately, thoroughly, deeply.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Damn, this chapter was long! Aand, Haylijah is engaged! I know many of you wondered when that would finally happen. The title of the chapter was kind of ironic referring to Hayley's morning after bliss, but then Elijah proposed, too. But, this doesn't mean all their problems are gone, and next chapter will be another "Painful Conversations" edition! Thanks for all the support!  
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	11. Let Me In

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I never want you to go through… anything like… that… alone… promise me- promise me you’ll let me in,” she adds in an almost-pleading voice.
> 
> “I- I promise, Hayley,” he finally says after a long stretch of silence, and she moves even closer to him, so close their foreheads are almost touching. But, Hayley could hear the hesitation in his voice, and she caresses his cheek gently.
> 
> Hayley and Elijah celebrate their engagement, but afterwards when Hayley confronts Elijah about his past, Elijah is forced to admit something he hadn't before.

He pushes her back onto the deck, and she immediately pulls him along with her, not breaking the kiss, her hands drifting to the back of his neck as Elijah’s hands drift to grasp her leather jacket, and he pushes it off easily. She does the same with his suit jacket. Briefly, they break the kiss, both of them panting heavily, their noses brushing, and Hayley takes the opportunity to undo Elijah’s tie and unbutton his shirt, practically ripping it off.

Elijah cups her cheeks, and pushes her slightly away from him so they’re facing each other, their gazes meeting, and Elijah seems to search her face for an answer, his eyes still slightly glassy with tears. The only light on the deck comes from the candles around them, but Hayley can still see his face clearly, and her stomach tightens at the emotion written all over his face.

“Hayley…” he rasps huskily, his voice shaking with emotion. 

“Yes?” she mumbles breathlessly, still trying to free him of his shirt, both of them panting heavily.

“Hayley,” he repeats, more firmly this time, though his voice is still hoarse, and his lower lip trembles, and he lets out a deep, shuddery breath. She stops her movements, and focuses on him.

“What is it?” she asks in concern, her stomach clenching nervously. Elijah takes a minute to answer, though he doesn’t let go of her.

“Are you… sure?” he finally asks, his voice hoarse, and there’s a clear uncertainty and _fea_r in his eyes, as if he’s afraid she wouldn’t want him.

“Of course I’m sure,” she pants, but the uncertainty doesn’t go away. “Of course I’m sure, Elijah. I want you. I always want you,” she repeats breathlessly. This seems to undo him, and he lets out a shaky breath before he grasps the hem of her dress, but Hayley stops him. “The buttons at the back,” she mutters, and Elijah furrows his eyebrows in confusion. “I don’t want you to ruin the dress,” she shrugs, smirking slightly.

He hums, “mm, but I much prefer ripping things off you,” he mumbles, his voice husky, and she can feel herself getting more and more wet. He grasps her tights, “like this,” he mutters, and then he rips them off, and Hayley gasps, shivering slightly.

“And I,” she says in a husky voice, “really like this dress. So, I’d much prefer it if you didn’t rip it, ‘Lijah,” she purrs, and hears his breath hitch in his throat. He grumbles lowly, then turns her so her back is to him, one hand around her waist, and Hayley smirks upon hearing him gasp quietly probably at seeing the lacy material at the back of the dress and the fact that she wasn’t wearing a bra. Elijah exhales slowly, and she shivers as his fingers brush on the back of her neck. Slowly and meticulously, Elijah starts to unfasten the buttons, his fingers brushing deliberately along her back, causing Hayley to shiver, her stomach tightening, and she can feel herself getting wetter as her dress slides down her arms, pooling at her waist while Elijah reaches from behind to cup her right breast.

“Elijah,” she moans his name, dipping her head back as Elijah brushes his lips over her shoulder.

“Mm,” Elijah hums as his fingers stroke her breast lightly while he presses his lips for an open-mouth kiss on her shoulder. Her back arching, Hayley closes her eyes, and reaches her arm back and cups the back of his neck, her fingers pulling gently on his hair.

“’Lijah,” she groans, feeling him harden against her ass. Elijah only continues to kiss her shoulder, then her back, all while his fingers stroke her breasts, his other hand resting on her waist is rubbing slow and sensuous circles on her hips. “Oh,” she gasps as his fingers start stroking her thigh. But, just short of touching her pussy he stops, and her breath hitches in her throat as her stomach tightens even more.

“Shh,” he mumbles against her skin, “relax, my love.” And then, he simply switches sides, so now he’s stroking her other breast, peppering soft kisses along her left shoulder while his right hand rubs circles along her hips.

“Oh,” she sighs, relaxing and leaning against him, her head still dipped back, her hand still cupping the back of his neck, tugging lightly on his hair as Elijah begins to stroke along her thigh all while brushing his lips along her back, his hand still cupping her left breast, fingers stroking it gently, causing her to shiver. This continues for a few more seconds before he pulls away entirely, and she whimpers, pouting at the loss of contact. But, Elijah doesn’t seem fazed at all, and he gently pushes her so she’s fully laying on the deck, before he grabs one of her legs. “Wh- what are you doing?” she pants, attempting to lift her head up slightly.

“Pleasing you,” he says simply as if he wasn’t doing anything.

“Aren’t you being cocky?” she quips, smirking slightly.

“But, you enjoy it so, Soon-to-be Mrs. Mikaelson,” he retorts, and Hayley swallows thickly.

“Well, hard not to when you take things slow, Mr. Mikaelson,” she winks, still smirking, and Elijah smirks back as he unties the laces of her combat boots.

Hayley can only watch him, completely mesmerized by the look of utter concentration on his face, the small crease between his furrowed eyebrows. Slowly and carefully, he removes the combat boot before pulling off the remaining material of her tights. Once he’s done he lifts her foot to his mouth and kisses it, and Hayley just about loses it. He repeats the action with her left foot once he’d removed both the boot and her tights.

And then Elijah positions himself over her legs and reaches to grab her thong, and Hayley arches her back as he rips the delicate lacy material off, and she’s sure she’s so close she won’t last long.

“Elijah,” she pants, reaching for him and grasping onto his hair. “Elijah, fuck, I’m so close,” she mutters. Elijah lifts his head slightly to look at her, and smirks smugly, and Hayley is so turned on by how sexy he looks, hair disheveled, eyes dark with lust as his fingers caress her clit, rubbing it slowly. “Fuck,” she squirms slightly, “Elijah, I’m gonna… I’m gonna come, I’m so close.”

“Oh, are you my love? You are, you are so wet for me,” he mutters as he lowers his face, and she tenses when the tip of his tongue touches her clit slightly, teasingly.

“Oh, yes… oh, fuck, Elijah!” she moans, her fingers still tugging onto his hair.

“You taste so good, darling. So good,” he mumbles hoarsely as he continues his ministrations. It doesn’t take long after that for her to finally reach her climax, and she spills over him, arching her hips before slumping against the deck. Elijah eats her out, then wipes his face slightly with whatever he touches before he sits up fully.

“You are so hot, Mr. Mikaelson,” she says, smirking.

“So are you, Miss Marshall,” he grins as he props himself over her, and she reaches to cup his face, pulling him to her. He meets her lips halfway, and deepens the kiss, and she can still taste herself on his lips as her tongue tangles with his, her teeth grazing his lower lip lightly. When air became a necessity they pulled away, and their noses brush against each other, Elijah resting his forehead on hers.

“I love you,” she mumbles against his lips.

“I love you, too,” he whispers back, panting slightly.

“Now, it’s my turn to take care of you,” she breaks the silence, a small smirk tugging at the corners of her lips.

* * *

Hayley slowly crawls on top of Elijah, and rests her head on his chest as Elijah wraps his arm around her, both of them panting.

“Well, that was quite pleasurable, Future Mrs. Mikaelson,” Elijah mumbles softly, and she chuckles, tilting her head to look up at him. He smiles fondly at her, his gaze filled with warmth, and he reaches to cup her cheek with his other hand, rubbing his thumb along her jaw.

“It was definitely fun, Mr. Mikaelson,” she quips, smiling softly at him. “But, you know what would make it even better?” she asks, trailing her fingers up his chest.

“Hmm?”

“Moving this fun to our very nice and comfortable bed,” she smirks, and Elijah chuckles before picking her up bridal-style. Hayley squeals, half in surprise, half in delight.

“Wh- what are you doing?” she demands, attempting to sound serious, but failing because they both start laughing like teenagers.

Elijah glances at her with a serious expression, “what the lady asks, she shall receive,” he quips and vamp-speeds to their bedroom, leaving their clothes still on the deck, but Hayley doesn’t give a damn. He lays her gently onto the bed before climbing on top of her, his hands caressing her jaw gently as his lips descend onto hers. She melts in his arms, and kisses him back, a slow, lingering kiss, their tongues tangling together, hands roaming everywhere, exploring, touching, caressing. The kiss grows in intensity as Elijah’s hands very skillfully cup her breasts, his fingers rubbing and caressing, causing Hayley to arch her back and moan in pleasure as Elijah continues his very deliberate movements. Elijah breaks the kiss only for his lips to move to her breasts, and he starts sucking, and nipping, and biting on her breasts, and Hayley’s toes curl as she moans in pleasure while he continues his ministrations.

“Elijah,” she pants, squirming slightly, “I… need you… now!” she demands, not wanting to wait for long. Elijah finally pulls away, and smirks at her as he slides his hands to cup the back of her neck. And then, very slowly, almost agonizingly slowly, he enters her, and Hayley’s muscles tighten as she wraps her legs around his hips. He begins to thrust inside her, moving rhythmically, and she moves her hips in sync, matching his movements. Elijah’s lips are on her jaw, and he presses open mouth kisses along her jaw, down her neck as she threads his hair, pulling it slightly, while he continues to pound into her. She’s so close, and she shuts her eyes, arching her back.

“Fuck… Elijah… so close, ahh!” she pants as Elijah hits her G spot just right, and she’s so close to her climax.

“Hayley… so close…” he mutters against her neck as he thrusts harder and faster.

Her hands slide down to his upper back, and she digs her nails into his skin as he gives one final thrust before spilling inside her, and collapsing on top of her, and Hayley follows soon after, sagging against him.

* * *

After the heady lust had worn off, after they’d collapsed in bed together, both of them panting heavily from their releases, and they lay in each other’s arms, Hayley’s head resting on Elijah’s chest, his arm draped across her waist, their heavy breathing the only sound in the quiet of the night. Elijah’s lips ghost over her forehead, and she smiles fondly, her heart warming. Silence settles between them, though neither of them can really complain about it. Now that the lusty haze had lifted, though, Hayley’s mind is spinning with a thousand thoughts, a thousand things she wants to say, a thousand memories flooding her brain.

“Elijah?” she ventures, her voice husky from long stretches of silence.

“Hmm?” Elijah acknowledges her, and she can feel his lips against her skin.

“Are we going to talk about it?” she finally asks, tilting her head up to look at him. “About what… Vincent said I- Elijah, I know,” she added forcefully, reaching to cup his cheek, forcing him to meet her gaze, and her stomach tightened at the pain obvious in his eyes. But, then as soon as the pain was there, it was gone, and Elijah’s cold, hard eyes were staring back at her. Instinctively, she flinches, and bites her lip. “Elijah-” she starts to say, but he doesn’t let her, and untangles himself from her, and gets out of bed. Hayley sits up, and stares at him, part of her considering getting up along with him, the other part worried it might do more damage than good. She could see Elijah’s walls were up like never before, an impenetrable fortress, and Hayley couldn’t help but admit she _was_scared. Scared he would push her away, that he wouldn’t let her in, and they wouldn’t be able to talk about this elephant in the room. That she wouldn’t be able to ask for his forgiveness, because as much as she is pissed at Vincent, and as much as she hates him for what he did, she is also mad at herself, and blames herself just as much. A small, irrational part of her brain wonders if Elijah wouldn’t want to marry her anymore, but Hayley ignores it. Elijah puts on a t-shirt and jeans and leaves the room without saying anything else, leaving Hayley alone in their bed, wondering what the hell just happened, and how can she fix it.

For a while, she just sits there, looking out the floor to ceiling window, gazing at the surroundings of the cottage. It was still sort of dark out, though the faintest rays of the sun flooded the sky, and sunrise would be soon. She sighs, running her hands through her hair and lies back down, groaning. The pillow she lays on smells of him, actually the sheets smell of him, everything smells of him, and her heart constricts painfully.

“Damn it, Elijah,” she mumbles to herself. Deciding to give Elijah time, she decides to go take a shower.

The master bathroom, just through one of the doors in the bedroom (the other being the closet) was decorated in cream and dark brown, with a shower, and a large tub as well as two sinks. They’d tried out the tub sometime the night before, deciding they might as well clean up, and the shower had been christened that morning before when she was getting ready, or trying to at least, for her meeting with Rebekah. She’d been forced to kick Elijah out of the shower eventually because actually showering her become a moot point with him. Memories flooded her mind as she let the hot water pour over her head. Elijah bringing her to the house. Their foreplay and the christening of the foyer. Then, the bedroom. The living room. The bathroom. Elijah’s hands everywhere, eliciting moans from her, his mouth on hers, the way he would hit her G spot just right, the way he would cradle her head as he kissed her- _damn it, bad train of thought, Hayley! _But, she was already wet, and in desperate need of a release, and no fiancé to help her at the present moment.

After taking care of herself, she finishes her shower, then dries up before drying her hair slightly and emerging out of the bathroom, a white, fluffy towel wrapped around herself. She fishes around the dresser for a clean pair of underwear, but doesn’t bother with any clothes, and instead puts on Elijah’s white shirt, rolling up its sleeves before exiting the room. As she does, her eye catches the ring on her ring finger, and different memories flood her mind. Every moment with Elijah. Every touch. Every kiss. Every word. Every promise. Seeing Elijah in France. Then, the farmhouse. The chambre de chasse. Elijah breaking down in her arms once his memories had been restored. Seeing each other for the first time afterwards. Her getting bitten by a werewolf, and Elijah desperately begging her to live. He’d never given up on her, not really. And, she had, but she’d promised him, and herself that she wouldn’t. Her mind made up, Hayley starts to look for her fiancé, though it doesn’t take long, her senses accustomed to him, and even though she didn’t have her wolf side anymore, she could still sense Elijah whenever he was near.

The room she finds Elijah in is one she hadn’t visited during her so-called tour of the house, though that may have been because her tour of the house consisted of her and Elijah christening every room. It makes sense, now, that this room hadn’t been included, though Hayley plans to rectify that particular fact. It seems like this was Elijah’s study slash library, and Hayley finds herself smiling as her eyes dart around a room that is so Elijah. Tall shelves stacked with books covered an entire wall, and a big mahogany desk was positioned in front of it, a brown leather chair behind the desk. The desk is mostly clean, except for some leather bound notebooks, probably Elijah’s journals, and a few pens and paperclips along with some photos. Hayley doesn’t stop to admire them, and instead her eyes drift to the other side of the room where some leather couches and armchairs were arranged in front of the fireplace, with a mahogany coffee table, matching the desk, in the middle.

The fireplace was lit, flames crackling, and Elijah sat on one of the couches, glass of bourbon in hand, watching the fire, and Hayley’s breath hitches in her throat as she notices how tense he seems to be. Slowly, she makes her way over, and sits down beside him, reaching to take the glass from him. He doesn’t react, not at first, and just lets her take the glass from his hands, his expression unreadable as he gazes at the fire. Hayley sighs, and tries to gather her thoughts.

“Hey,” is all she manages to say, which admittedly sounds lame, but it does get Elijah’s attention, and he glances over at her, though he doesn’t quite look at her, doesn’t quite meet her gaze.

Without a word, Elijah merely reaches for her hand, his thumb rubbing across her knuckles, tracing her engagement ring before he lifts it and presses his lips to her wrist. Hayley shuts her eyes, briefly, and her shoulders slump slightly.

The atmosphere between them is so tense, you could cut the tension with a knife, and Hayley clears her throat awkwardly.

“Elijah,” she says slowly, hoping to garner a reaction from him, but he doesn’t say anything, and she sighs heavily in annoyance. “I thought we promised to be better than this Elijah, I thought we’d promised each other not to run, to talk, to trust each other, and rebuild that trust that was lost,” she says slowly, her own gaze trained on the flames in front of them.

Elijah bows his head, “you are right, Hayley. You’re right. I- I promised you I would be a better man, forgive me for not living up to my promise,” he says guiltily.

“I didn’t say that,” she says, her gaze flickering to his.

“Then what did you mean? Why are you mad?” he asks, confused.

“I’m not mad, I’m- maybe I’m a little mad, but I’m mostly upset. I’m upset because you felt like you needed to hide your pain, your feelings, and you felt like you couldn’t talk to me about it. I’m hurt that you ran out when I was trying to talk to you, Elijah,” she tells him, her voice edgy with emotion as she turns to face him. Finally, Elijah looks at her, and meets her gaze, and she can see the barely-concealed pain in his dark brown eyes, and her heart breaks.

“I’m sorry,” he mutters, hanging his head. “But, you don’t need to worry, my love,” he says softly, “I’m fine.” He cups her cheek, but she purses her lips because she doesn’t believe him for one second as he leans closer, his nose brushing against hers. When he presses his lips against hers, sliding his hand in her hair, cupping the back of her neck, she doesn’t pull away, and instead deepens the kiss, her tongue tangling with his as she presses herself closer to him, her hands drifting to wrap around his neck as she practically straddles him. Then, rational thought returns to her, and she pulls away from him, scooting off his lap, and breaks the kiss. The look of hurt on Elijah’s face is obvious, and Hayley immediately feels guilty. “Hayley-” he starts to say, but she cuts him off.

“I’m- Elijah, I can’t,” she says, her voice hoarse. “I- we need to talk, and I won’t have sex with you to avoid talking about it, not when you-” she tells him, but this time _he_cuts her off.

“I told you, Hayley, I am fine. If you don’t wish to have sex, just say so,” he sighs, and reaches for the glass of bourbon from the coffee table, and takes a long sip.

“It’s not that I don’t want to, trust me, I do… you in those jeans and t-shirt does things to me,” she says, glancing at him pointedly, and he smiles shyly, caught off guard.

“Same to you, Miss Marshall in that my shirt,” he interjects, his own voice husky, and her breath hitches in her throat, but Hayley powers through.

“Elijah,” she murmurs, giving him a serious look, and he nods, his shoulders slumping.

“Right.”

“Look, as much as I want to have sex with you, we need to talk, and you know that. We can’t put this off, so please, just talk to me, Elijah. I know what Vincent- I saw the memory, I know what happened,’ she says, a tense edge to her voice on the last part. Elijah shifts uncomfortably.

“I told you, Hayley, I’m-” he starts to say, but she cuts him off.

“Fine? No you’re not,” she quips, and he purses his lips, averting his gaze. “What? You gonna run out of this room, too? You know, there is only so many rooms in this house, pretty sure I’ll find you,” she remarks, raising an eyebrow. Elijah sighs in defeat, and Hayley runs her hand through her hair, sighing in irritation. “Gods, Elijah,” she practically growls in frustration, “this is so typical of you. Let’s not talk about my problems. I’m just going to do what I do best – bury them and pretend they don’t exist. I’ve been doing it for a thousand years, I’m too old to change now,” she snaps, finally deciding to be honest with him, and not walk on eggshells around that very clear fact. Elijah hangs his head, and sighs in defeat.

“Alright, you’re right, I see your point,” he concedes, his expression serious. “Though, I do resent the implication that I’m too old to change,” he adds, smirking slightly.

“I didn’t say it,” she retorts, “you did.” He half-chuckles and nods, and reaches for her again, this time merely taking her hand, lacing his fingers with hers.

“Okay,” he sighs as he lifts her hand to his lips and presses a feather-light kiss to her lips. “How did you find out?” he sighs heavily, looking down.

“Rebekah,” she says simply, and Elijah drops his head to his chest and exhales heavily. “She showed me.”

“And, who told my sister?”

“She found out from Marcel who accidentally got into Vincent’s head and saw the memory after they compelled your memories away,” she replies, chewing nervously on her bottom lip.

“Who else knows?” Elijah asks, not looking at her, his gaze trained on the crackling flames in the fireplace.

“Klaus. He stopped me from strangling Vincent to death, though he deserved it. Marcel probably told him,” she says, pursing her lips, and Elijah shuts his eyes, grimacing in pain.

“Fuck,” he curses underneath his breath, rubbing his forehead.

“Elijah-” she starts to say, but cuts herself off when she sees the look on his face. She clears her throat, “I- what happened?” she finally asks, her voice edgy with emotion.

Elijah swallows thickly, “you know what happened.”

“I do. But, not from you. I want you to tell me what happened, what you went through,” she turns to him, fixing him with her gaze. Elijah meets her gaze, pain clear in his dark brown eyes, and shakes his head.

“Hayley, I-” he cuts himself off, shakes his head, “I can’t,” he says sadly. “I don’t know how, I just-” he cuts himself off once again, and sighs.

“C’mon, I don’t scare easy,” she says, her voice just a little teasing to lighten the mood, a little bit of false bravado, because a part of her is scared. Seeing it from Rebekah’s point of view is one thing, but there is something in Elijah’s voice that scares her; scares her that it’s so much worse than what she knows from Rebekah. “Elijah,” she says slowly, and reaches to cup his cheek with her free hand, her thumb rubbing against his jaw, “I know what happened, but I want to hear it from you because it matters to me how you feel,” she tells him gently. There is a pregnant pause as they both stare deeply into each other’s eyes, both of them searching for something, some untold secret, some sign. “You can tell me, you know,” she adds, a hint of emotion in her voice.

“This happened while we were trying to get rid of the Hollow,” Elijah says slowly, and she nods, squeezing his hand reassuringly. Her other hand drops from his cheek and falls on her lap, and she just sits there, listening. “I, uh, Vincent informed me that in order to stop the Hollow, the link with the ancestors needed to be restored by performing a sacrificial ritual,” he pauses and swallows thickly, and Hayley’s breath hitches in her throat as she realizes what this means.

“The Harvest ritual,” she says breathlessly. Elijah just nods.

“Yes. Vincent refused to perform it afraid the ancestors would not accept the sacrifice. So I did. I-” he cuts himself off, his voice choked, and Hayley’s heart hammers in his chest, her mind whirling. There is a pregnant pause, silence descending between them, and Hayley rubs her thumb across his knuckles, and squeezes his hands. “I slit the throats of those four girls…” he finally says, his voice barely above a whisper, and Hayley can’t help but let out an audible gasp as Elijah’s shoulders slump, and he bows his head.

“I- I know that, Elijah. I know what happened,” she sighs, and Elijah drops his gaze, refusing to meet hers as he exhales slowly. Hayley’s mind flashes back to seven years ago and how awful she’d been when she’d found out about Elijah and the Harvest ritual, the things she’d said- Hayley squeezes her eyes at the memory of their last argument about it. Elijah himself shuts his eyes, wincing. “I’m sorry,” she says, but Elijah doesn’t turn to face her. “Elijah, I- I’m sorry, I was so awful to you back then, I- I didn’t understand, I didn’t get how hard it was for you. Having to make those necessary decisions,” she says slowly, her voice thick with emotion, but still Elijah doesn’t turn to face her, doesn’t even want to look at her. “Elijah,” she repeats, more firmly, “look at me.” Finally, Elijah does look, well, not exactly at her, but in her general direction, and Hayley sighs heavily. “Why- why didn’t you tell me anything?” she wonders after a few brief moments of silence, running her hand through her hair nervously.

Elijah doesn’t say anything, not at first, choosing instead to stare into space. Finally, he laces his fingers with hers and lifts her hand to his lips, pressing his lips to her knuckles, a pained look on his face. He sighs, “I just- things were difficult as it were Hayley, I didn’t- Vincent said something that hurt, yes, but I-” he cuts himself off, swallowing thickly, his jaw set.

“What is it?” she asks quietly, glancing over at him, though he doesn’t meet her gaze. And then, realization dawns on her, and Hayley’s heart breaks, “oh…” she mutters, letting out a heavy sigh. “Oh, _Elijah_,” she says softly, and takes his hand, lifting it to her lips, and presses a tender kiss to his hand before dropping it and rubs her thumb over his knuckles. “Elijah, you must know that- oh Gods, Elijah, no matter what… what enemy we’re up against… family drama… just anything, I will always be there for you, I would never want you to go through it alone,” she finally says, her voice filled with emotion, and finally Elijah meets her gaze and the pain and self-loathing in his dark brown eyes makes Hayley’s stomach twist painfully. She reaches her hand and cups his cheek, and he leans into her touch, and she moves closer to him, their knees touching. “I love you, Elijah,” she says, her voice soft, “and, I never want you to go through… anything like… that… alone… promise me- promise me you’ll let me in,” she adds in an almost-pleading voice.

“I- I promise, Hayley,” he finally says after a long stretch of silence, and she moves even closer to him, so close their foreheads are almost touching. But, Hayley could hear the hesitation in his voice, and she caresses his cheek gently.

“What is it?” she asks quietly, her voice a raspy whisper.

Again, silence descends between them, and they stare deeply into each other’s eyes before Elijah finally takes a deep breath.

“I am scared, no Hayley, I am absolutely terrified… like you said, I’m a thousand years old, and in all that time I’ve never- I’ve never felt about anyone quite as deeply as I feel for you… not even Tatia, not Celeste, certainly not Katerina… Hayley, my darling, my love, my soulmate… the way I feel for you is so deep, that sometimes I don’t quite comprehend it…” he trails off, and averts his gaze, and Hayley’s heart hammers in her chest. “And, sometimes that scares me because I’ve never let anyone see me vulnerable, I’ve never let anyone in the way I’ve done with you… and, I know I haven’t even been fully honest with you about my feelings, about my trauma because I worry you’ll leave me still. I’m a thousand years old, and I am scared the woman I love will leave me once she sees how damaged I am,” he admits, his eyes glistening with unshed tears, and Hayley’s heart breaks at the confession and at what it implies; despite her many reassurances, Elijah will probably never fully believe she’ll never leave him.

“Elijah,” she says slowly, and takes his hands in hers, squeezing them gently, “I am not leaving you, you have to believe that. No matter your demons, no matter your damage, no matter what has happened, what you’ve done- what you had to do, I am not leaving you. Ever. I want to be your wife, I want to be committed to you forever because I love you, because you are the best man there is, because you make me happy… Gods, you make me so happy, Elijah, you have no idea…” she trails off, and sniffles, tears prickling at her eyes. “And, I want to make you as happy as you make me. So, please, just let me in and believe that I love you, and that I will never, ever, leave you,” she finishes, reaching to cup his cheeks with both her hands. And then, she leans across the small space between them and presses her lips against his. Elijah doesn’t respond at first, but then wraps his arms around her waist, pulling her closer, and his lips move against hers, deepening the kiss. Hayley kisses him deeply, passionately, pouring every ounce of emotion into the kiss, her lips molded with his. Elijah kisses her back just as fervently, though more slowly, gently, his lips yielding as hers continue to bite, and suck, and nip on his. She straddles his hips, and his hands move to cup her ass, his fingers rubbing over her bare skin as he pulls her closer, not wanting to let her go. Eventually, air becomes a necessity, and Hayley pulls away though she remains close, and rubs her nose against his lightly.

“I love you, too, Hayley,” Elijah finally says after a few seconds of silence. “You make me incredibly happy, you always have. You were the one who broke down my walls and pushed your way into my heart, and you- you cracked me wide open, Hayley… and, I love you. I know I didn’t say it for the longest time, I know it took me so long to say how I feel, but I also know that deep down you knew how I felt for you, you knew that what I felt for you was deep, and intense, and unlike anything I’d felt before,” he finishes, practically choking on the last part, and a lone tear slides down his cheek. This is enough for Hayley, this is it, and tears start pouring down her own cheeks, and Elijah’s gaze widens before he simply pulls her to him so that she’s practically laying in his arms, and he wraps his arms around her, and then she feels his tears on her skin, and wraps her arms around him, pressing herself as close to him as she can.

“Gods, we’re a mess, aren’t we?” she mumbles after a while into his neck. She feels his laughter rumble through his chest.

“That we are, my love… that we are,” he says softly, and she pulls away to look at him, staring deeply into his eyes. And then, she leans slightly towards him and presses her lips to his forehead. [It was probably the first time she was the giver, and not the receiver of a forehead kiss, but after everything, Elijah deserved to be on the receiving end]. He smiles softly, and once she pulls away he pulls her in for another kiss.


	12. Burden

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hayley and Elijah's conversation continues.

Eventually, after sharing a few more comforting kisses, Hayley merely rests her head on his chest, and he tucks his chin over her head, his arms wrapped loosely around her, holding her close. Neither of them say anything, and just lay there, taking comfort in each other’s arms, and Elijah’s not sure what exactly it is that Hayley is thinking about, but his own mind is spinning. He knows that running from Hayley was ridiculous, especially considering that he stayed at the house, and there were only so many rooms he could hide in. But, he’d panicked once it had dawned on him that not only did Hayley know about Vincent, and what had happened, but also that she wanted to discuss it. [He was aware that discussing one’s problems was part of a healthy relationship, but he’d never been good about being vulnerable and sharing his emotions. But, he should’ve known that Hayley wouldn’t just let things go, and that she would be okay with him breaking down in front of her. After all this time, he somehow still had to get used to how accepting the woman in his arms was of him being vulnerable and a crying, emotional mess]. But, it was more than that. Ever since he had regained his memories, he had tried to bury the most hurtful ones as hard as he could and pretend everything was fine. Of course, that was thrown out the window on his amend tour, and he was well aware that he had to apologize for abandoning and hurting his siblings, niece and the woman he loved. But, some memories were better left untouched, forgotten. And, now, everything was back to the surface because not only did Hayley find out about Vincent, but Rebekah, Niklaus and Marcel all know it.

He feels Hayley’s hand on his cheeks, her thumb gliding gently along his jawline, and he glances down to find she’d tilted her head up and was staring at him with her beautiful wide, hazel, yet slightly bloodshot eyes.

“What is it, ‘Lijah?” she asks softly, still caressing his cheek gently.

He sighs heavily, “just thinking,” he replies, attempting a smile, though it is more of a grimace. He reaches for her left hand cupping his cheeks, and laces his fingers with hers, his finger gently grazing over the engagement ring that still adorned Hayley’s finger. Hayley smiles fondly as she glances over at their joined fingers.

“About?” she wonders, her eyebrows knitting together curiously. He doesn’t respond, and instead his gaze drifts to the ceiling as he struggles to decide on a response.

“Just- when I got my memories back,” he starts carefully, taking a deep breath, and Hayley rubs her thumb over his knuckles, squeezing his hand in comfort, “when I remembered everything… I- it hurt. It was painful, Hayley, because suddenly everything was coming back all at once, and I- not only was I remembering the family, the people I had forgotten… you,” he chokes slightly, and briefly shuts his eyes, blinking back tears, before he continues, “but, I was also remembering everything I did, every person I killed, hurt, maimed, caused any form of harm… and, I also remembered being hurt by Niklaus, by our parents, by-” she cuts him off, and he furrows his eyebrows in confusion.

“By me,” she says softly, and Elijah can’t help but flinch.

“Hayley-” he tries to say something, but she doesn’t let him.

“It’s okay, I know I hurt you,” she says with a sigh.

“I hurt you, too,” he argues.

“I know.”

“I’m sorry, Hayley, I am so sorry,” he says sadly, and he’s certain he’d said it thousands of times since his return, but no amount of apologies really seemed enough. Hayley pulls her hand out of his and reaches to cup his cheek once more, caressing him gently.

“I know, Elijah, I know. I forgive you. I’m sorry, too,” she says softly. He nods, and presses his lips to her forehead, and she relaxes beneath his touch.

Neither of them say anything for a few seconds before he continues, “by Vincent. You were right, Hayley, it did hurt. Especially because it was true,” he admits. Hayley meets his gaze, shaking her head vehemently, and his heart breaks at the pain obvious in her eyes. “Don’t say it’s not, Hayley,” he tells her before she can even begin to say so. “I murdered four girls in cold blood because I believed it would help stop a threat to my family. I thought it was okay because they would come back, and they did. But, what if they hadn’t? Then, four little girls would be dead, and that would be on me. I _killed _them, Hayley,” he tells her, and chokes on the last part, his eyes filling with tears. “I killed them, and I cannot forgive myself for it,” he adds, reaching to wipe away his tears.

“And, that’s what makes you different, Elijah,” Hayley says, sitting up swiftly, and pulling him up along with her. “You killed them and have been punishing yourself for it ever since. That guilt, that regret, it makes you different, Elijah. You feel regret and guilt, probably more than anyone else,” she tells him, blinking back tears and reaches to take his hands in hers. “And, that’s why Vincent was wrong. He was wrong because of his hatred for your family, for Klaus, because of all the history between him and all of us,” he raises an eyebrow at her including herself in the family, but Hayley doesn’t pay it any attention. “But, he was wrong. You have a soul, you have emotions, and you do feel the guilt and regret every time you are left with an impossible choice and have to hurt someone to save this family. You are not a monster, Elijah Mikaelson. You are good,” she says, and cups his face with both her hands, and he can’t help but shut his eyes as a lone tear slides down his cheek. Hayley wipes it away, then leans over and presses her lips to his forehead. He freezes, taken by surprise, though she had done it earlier, too, but he’d never been on the receiving end of a forehead kiss, and it was nice and comforting and filled him with a sensation he hadn’t felt in the more than a thousand years he’d been living on this earth, but somehow Hayley Marshall had managed to elicit it not once, but twice. Once she pulls away, she stares deeply into his eyes, her expression a mixture of emotions. “You are a good man, Elijah Mikaelson and I love you,” she says, and though it’s not the first time she’s said it, her voice is filled with such conviction that it makes him fall more in love with her if possible.

“And, I love you. Still, Vincent was kind of right,” he says, and Hayley opens her mouth to protest, but he rests his finger against her lips, “please don’t… don’t say anything. Let me, Hayley, please,” he says softly.

“Okay,” she nods.

“He was right because I don’t… I don’t really remember what it was like to be human. I did once, back when I had things I wanted for myself, dreams and desires… but all of that was buried beneath blood, and carnage, and pain, and now I barely remember it… I’m over a thousand years old, Hayley, I don’t remember what it’s like to be human, those memories are buried so deep I- I’m sorry, but Vincent was right about that,” he finishes, and Hayley doesn’t say anything, a thoughtful look on her face, and he wonders what she’s thinking about, though he does have an idea. “Hayley,” he says softly, and her attention snaps back to him, “that isn’t going to happen to you, I won’t let it,” he tells her, filled with determination. “I won’t let you lose yourself,” he repeats. She nods, and sighs.

“I don’t believe that,” she says, and he opens his mouth to argue, but this time it is Hayley who doesn’t let him. “I don’t believe that there isn’t humanity in you, Elijah, because if that were true you wouldn’t be you. You are being too hard on yourself, baby,” she tells him, gently caressing his jaw, “but, you don’t have to be because I am not leaving you. I am here, I’ll always be here, and as long as I’m here, I’m gonna keep reminding you that there is good in you. I won’t let you lose yourself, either, okay?”

“Okay,” he agrees. “Shall we swear on it?” he quips, a small smirk tugging at the corners of his lips.

Hayley chuckles, her beautiful laughter filling the air, “well, I think we could work it into our wedding vows,” she retorts, grinning at him, her hazel eyes shining playfully. Her casual mention of their upcoming nuptials, though they hadn’t even set a date, fills him with emotion and he wraps one arm around her waist before putting the other beneath her knees. Hayley’s eyebrows knit in confusion, and she lets out a squeal of surprise when he picks her up. “Elijah!” she exclaims, letting out an amused chuckle, “what the hell are you doing?”

“Taking you to bed, darling. I would like to make love to my fiancée,” he informs her seriously, and Hayley laughs, a full on laugh this time, throwing her arms around his neck before her lips crash to his as he vamp-speeds to the bedroom.

* * *

Elijah’s plan of making love ends up being one round of slow and sweet lovemaking and several rounds of passionate, can’t-get-enough-of-each-other, hard and fast sex. Eventually they settle into the bed, Hayley’s head resting on his chest, Elijah’s arm wrapped loosely around her body, his fingers absently drawing circles on her hips. They were both in a sort of post-sex, half-sleepy haze, and Hayley was tracing circles on his bare chest. Her Daylight ring catches her eye in the dim afternoon sunlight, and tears prickle at her eyes as she stares at it. Then, Elijah’s own hand takes hers, and she laces her fingers with his before turning to face him as he brings her knuckles to his lips.

“Hello,” he rasps, and she can’t help but smile softly, her hazel eyes meeting his.

“Hi,” she mumbles as he drops her hand. She brings it up to cup his cheek, her thumb slowly caressing his jaw.

“You okay?” he asks, leaning into her touch.

“Are you?”

“Hayley…” he sighs heavily, and she can see his eyes are glassy with tears. “I might never be entirely okay with everything. Part of me will feel guilty about… everything that happened for a while. And, I’m okay with it because I have you,” he finally says, and Hayley feels her throat close up. “I have you, and somehow despite everything we- I’ve done, you still love me. So, I’m okay, I’ll be okay,” he whispers hoarsely before tilting his head slightly and pressing a quick kiss to her forehead. “Now, what were you thinking about?” he asks once he looks back at her, and she sighs softly. “Hayley?” he reaches to brush hair away from her face, tucking it behind her ear.

“I was just…” she trails off, her gaze drifting to the ceiling before she continues, “thinking.”

“About?”

“Just- you know, it took me a long time to come to terms with being a hybrid. Mainly because my mind had latched on the vampire part of that. The drinking blood, killing people, living forever part of that to be exact. And, well, it didn’t help that you pulled away from me,” she finally says, and immediately regrets mentioning the last part because Elijah’s expression immediately becomes guilty. “Elijah-” she starts to say, but he cuts her off.

“Hayley, I- please forgive me for that. You know I only did it because I was punishing myself, because I thought it was what was best for you,” he tells her, and she sighs.

“Yes. You and your impossible guilt complex. I know you only had the best for me in mind when you did that, but it hurt. It still hurt because the person I thought was always gonna be there for me wasn’t. And, I didn’t get why. What could I have possibly done to make you not want me? Where you that disgusted with me?” She sighs upon finishes and tucks her other arm behind her as she continues to stare at Elijah who looks like he’s about to cry.

“No, Hayley. You’re wrong. It wasn’t you, it was me, all right? I was- there had been a time when Niklaus and I weren’t on the best of terms that I vowed to choose you over him. And, I thought- perhaps part of me thought you’d died and lost Hope because of that, because of me… because I had dared to contemplate being selfish like that. I don’t know. I just thought pulling away from you was a good idea, and part of me also did it because I couldn’t face your pain. I was a coward. And, I’m so sorry about that. But, it was never you. I was never- I could never be disgusted by you. I love you. I want you. I always did. I always will… until the stars burn out, until the sky falls, until the sun stops shining, I will always want you. And, if there’s a life after that, I’ll want you then, too,” he admits, his voice thick with emotion, and Hayley feels tears prickle at her eyes. [She’d thought nothing could top Elijah’s proposal speech the night before. But, it seemed the man had a way with words, and still managed to make her heart melt]. Hayley doesn’t respond, and instead just leans forward and kisses him, slipping her tongue into his mouth, and rests her other hand against his cheek, too. He returns the kiss, his own hands going to her waist, pulling her closer. Their tongues tangle together for a few seconds before she finally breaks the kiss and leans back on her hand, one hand still resting on his cheeks.

“I love you, too. Always and forever,” she tells him, unable to form any more words. Silence encompasses them, though not for long, and this time she’s the one who breaks it. “And, like I said before, let’s put all the stuff we went through before behind us, okay? I don’t want to spend forever rehashing old wounds. I love you, you love me. I’m _marrying _you, Elijah. You’re the love of my life, and I’m marrying you. So, I’m okay,” she tells him, her voice firm, though there’s a hint of emotion in it. He nods, and just pulls her closer.

“Don’t think I didn’t catch that there was more you wanted to say,” he says after a while, pressing his lips to her hair lightly.

“Yeah, uh, so I guess it took a while for me to finally accept what I am. Maybe you were right in pushing Klaus and me together because Klaus pushed me to the wolves in a sense. And, gave me a new sense of belonging. And, I realized that I wasn’t just a vampire, that it wasn’t just death and blood. That I was a wolf, too. That was the trick, that’s my thing… how I got through it. But, now I’m not a wolf anymore. Now, I’m just a vampire. And, it hurts,” she admits, her wavering slightly, and she can feel her eyes water.

“Oh,” Elijah mumbles softly. And then, he pulls her closer, tucking her head in the crook of his neck, his arms holding onto her tightly as he gently runs his hand over her hair, his cheek resting against her forehead, his stubble tickling her skin lightly. “Oh, Hayley,” he mumbles as she rests her hands against his chest, pressing herself closer. “I’m so sorry,” he mutters, pressing his lips to her forehead. Finally, he pulls away, and meets her gaze, “What can I do?”

“I- I don’t…” she trails off, biting her lip.

“Hayley, if there is anything I can do to fix this, to make you feel better, I will do it, make no mistake. I will do anything for you, my love, you know that,” he tells her, and she nods.

“I know, Elijah. You already are,” she whispers in response, her finger trailing along his shoulder. “You already make everything better. You make me feel whole even when all I feel is broken, like a part of me is missing… you’ve always done that. You make me feel… more... just more, Elijah Mikaelson, and I am so incredibly grateful for it,” she says softly as a tear slides down her cheek, and Elijah reaches to wipe it away with his thumb. “I am sad that I lost part of myself, I am. But, I know I’ll be okay. Because I have you. And, I’ll always have you,” she adds, glancing at her engagement ring as she does before she takes his hand, her fingers lacing with his. Elijah just smiles softly.

“Hayley Marshall soon-to-be Mikaelson, you are the best thing that ever happened to me,” he mutters, and she can’t help but roll her eyes at how cheesy he sounds.

“Elijah Mikaelson, could you be anymore cheesy?” she voices, smiling softly in return.

“Hmm… possibly?” he quips with a light chuckle. “Though, to be fair, you aren’t doing too bad yourself, Soon-to-be Mrs. Mikaelson,” he adds, and she giggles. Their lips meet halfway in a soft, gentle kiss, and their arms wrap around each other as Elijah flips them over so he’s on top of her before they begin another session of lovemaking.

* * *

Eventually, they collapse in each other’s arms, feet tangled together, Hayley’s head once again resting on Elijah’s chest, his arms draped over her waist, his lips in her hair, both of them lost in thought, or at least Hayley is.

“What are you thinking, about, my love?” he asks her, his voice a barely audible whisper in her ear. Hayley just lets out a wistful sigh.

“Just thinking,” she mumbles against his chest, her lips brushing against his skin.

“About?”

“I kind of… I miss Hope,” she admits, nuzzling his chest lightly with her nose.

“Oh…” Elijah trails off, clearly surprised, and she tilts her head up to look at him and meet his gaze.

“Sorry,” she sighs.

“Don’t apologize, darling,” he says softly, chuckling lightly. “You haven’t really seen your daughter since…” he pauses, and seems to think it over for a moment, just as realization dawns on herself, too.

“Since Freya and Keelin’s wedding. Oh, Gods, I am a terrible mother,” she curses at herself, her words muffled by Elijah’s chest. Elijah merely rubs his hand along her back while she groans in self-irritation.

“Hayley,” Elijah says in an attempt to get her attention, “Hayley, look at me,” he says, more firmly this time, and she finally looks up to meet his gaze. “You are not a terrible mother,” he tells her, reaching to cup her cheek, and rubbing his thumb across her chin. “You just…”

“I’ve just been too busy having sex and getting engaged, and ignored my daughter,” she snaps, not beating around the bush. Except, as soon as the words are out of her mouth, she realizes how they must have sounded. And, one look at Elijah’s face tells her exactly how they made him feel. “Elijah-” she starts, an apology, a justification, on the tip of her tongue, but he doesn’t let her.

“Don’t what? Don’t feel guilty because you felt the need to not spend time with your daughter in order to make a more than thousand-year-old vampire feel better about his own guilt and trauma?” he retorts, his voice dripping with sarcasm, and Hayley rolls off as he stands up, giving her a full view of himself. Instinctively, her eyes trail over his figure, but Elijah doesn’t give her much of a show, and he immediately pulls some clothes on. But, before he can even attempt to walk away, she jumps out of bed at vampire speed, pulling on his shirt that she’d been wearing earlier, and had merely thrown onto the floor in lust-filled haste, and speeds over to the door, blocking his exit.

“Don’t you dare walk away from me, Elijah,” she hisses, pursing her lips and meeting his gaze. Elijah opens his mouth, then closes it. “And, don’t blame yourself… because I don’t blame you. Hope’s a teenager, do you think this is the first time we didn’t spend every moment together? She goes to a freaking boarding school, I’m used to not seeing her. I just miss her, but that doesn’t mean I regret how I spent my time. I realize that what I said was thoughtless and harsh, but I didn’t mean it like that. Elijah, you have got to stop acting like you’re a burden to me, like me being here with you and not with Hope is a bad thing. It’s really not. I love being here with you, at our own place. And, Hope has a father and aunt who she hasn’t been living with for the past seven years. I’m sure she’s missed Bekah, and Bekah’s probably taken her on a shopping trip already, if not two. And, Klaus is probably compelling all the beignets within a fifteen-mile-radius of the compound to be delivered there. She’s fine. I’m her mom, ‘Lijah, of course I miss her. But, that doesn’t mean I regret spending time with you, or being here for you, or any of it, okay?” she tells him, her voice firm, though there was a hint of emotion in it. She reaches for him, and cups his cheeks, her thumb gently caressing him. “I love you, Elijah. And, I don’t regret a minute of the time I spent with you. Saying ‘yes’ to you, having mind-blowingly good sex, and being here for you when you needed me. I just miss my daughter, but that’s a default setting,” she adds, her voice softer as she leans closer to him. Elijah nods, albeit reluctantly.

“Thank you,” he finally says with a heavy sigh, his shoulders dropping. “So, let’s go see her,” he adds, “let’s just get back to the Quarter and return to the others.”

She smiles at him, a full on smile, “yeah? You’d go back into the lion’s den for me?”

“Of course, I would,” he practically scoffs. “Besides, I should return sooner or later, or Niklaus would probably send his hybrids after me,” he smirks slightly. They both chuckle.

“Okay,” she agrees, smiling, and pulls away from him to go get ready.

“Perhaps we should shower first, don’t you think?”

“We? Together?” she glances at him, raising an eyebrow.

Elijah gives her an incredulous look, “of course, my love. We might as well save water,” he quips, smirking at her innocently before walking towards the bathroom.

“Y-” Hayley starts, but cuts herself off as Elijah stops right before entering the ensuite bathroom and takes off the clothes he’d hastily thrown over himself, giving her a nice view of his muscular back and very nice ass. She swallows thickly, instantly aroused, and sighs before following after him, dropping the shirt she’d draped over herself to the floor. Elijah turns on the water and the shower fills with steam. He enters first, the water cascading over his body causing his hair drip over his face. Hayley follows after him, and sighs in relief as the hot water falls over her body, causing her hair to cling to her head and the water seeps over her skin, like a comforting blanket over her tense muscles. She steps closer to Elijah as he stands there, a playful smirk on his face, and he pushes back the hair that had fallen over his forehead and Hayley shivers, filled with lust. She meets his gaze, and gulps as his eyes are dark with lust, and hers are probably, too. And, Hayley can’t take it anymore. She closes the gap between them, and brings her hands to rest them on his shoulders, her fingers gently massaging the tense skin beneath them, causing Elijah to tense slightly and grunt, but he relaxes soon and rests his own hands on her hips, and begins to rub slow and sensuous circles along her hips. She hums in pleasure as she continues to rub his skin until her fingers touch, and she wraps her hands around his neck, the gap between them becoming smaller. She rubs her nose against his, smiling softly at him, staring deeply into his dark brown eyes while Elijah continues to rub his fingers over her wet skin, causing her to moan yet again.

“Gods, you are so beautiful, Hayley,” he mutters softly, so lowly she can barely hear him, and her stomach tightens in pleasure.

His fingers trail along her back until they rest on her shoulder blades. And then, he crashes his lips to hers, warm, and wet, and Hayley returns the kiss immediately, eagerly, gasping before deepening the kiss, her tongue tangling with his, her teeth nipping and biting his lips lightly, water cascading over them as her hands start trailing down his back until they’re resting on his lower back. Air becomes a necessity, and they break the kiss, both of them gasping for air before their lips crash together once more as their hands roam each other’s bodies, slowly caressing, exploring, tracing invisible circles. Hayley moans as Elijah’s fingers reach a slightly more sensitive spot, and she’s so wet she doesn’t think she can take it anymore. Elijah gently pushes her against the wall as his fingers move down and he begins to slowly rub his finger against her clit, causing her to moan loudly whilst clinging to him, nails digging into his skin.

“Aren’t you wet for me, darling? You are,” he mumbles, and Hayley’s lower abdomen tightens in pleasure. “You are… you are so wet, so fucking wet…” he says, and she can’t help but groan lowly. Hearing Elijah use dirty words like that always fills her with lust, and now all she wants is to have him inside her now.

“Fuck, ‘Lijah…” she mutters, shutting her eyes briefly, dipping her head back and welcoming the water that pours over her face. “Fuck, babe, I need you… right… now,” she adds as Elijah inserts his fingers inside her, continuing to rub. “Gods, you’re killing me here,” she mumbles, clinging to him, her nails digging deep into his skin.

Elijah mere smirks as he glances up at her, “patience, my dear,” he says as he continues his movements while Hayley’s nearly over the edge, her hands moving to his hair, clinging to it.

“Fuck, ‘Lijah… I’m going to fucking come…” she gasps, panting, still clinging to him.

“That’s kind of the point, my love,” he informs her as he continues his ministrations, though he pulls out his fingers and gently rubs her clit a few more times, hitting the G-spot while Hayley moans, eyes tightly shut, hands gripping his hair tightly.

“Ahh, I’m going to- fuck… ‘Lijah, fuck- babe…” she manages to say between moans, still panting. Finally, she reaches her release after a few more well-paced strokes from Elijah, moaning loudly, and spills all over, though Elijah says nothing and instead gets up slowly, cupping her cheeks now, smirking. “Gods, that was… fucking hell, ‘Lijah…” she gasps as he strokes her jaw while she rests her hands on his chest.

“I’m glad that was enjoyable for you,” he says, and her eyes widen slightly. “But, now I need you- no, I want you,” he tells her, and Hayley’s stomach tightens once more in anticipation.

“Me too,” she agrees, her eyes staring deeply into his, and she brushes her nose lightly against his. Elijah smiles in response while his hands grip her thighs gently and he lifts her up, and she wraps her legs around his hips while hoisting herself up on his shoulders then. “I want you, ‘Lijah… now… fuck me, babe,” she breathes in his ear. Elijah doesn’t need to be told twice, and he thrusts into her, and they both shift as much as they can with her resting against the slippery shower tile wall to get more comfortable before Elijah starts thrusting inside her, slowly, then picks up pace while she rocks her own hips to match his movements, her hands wrapped around his waist. Their lips meet halfway for a heady, lust-filled kiss, tongues tangled together, teeth nipping and biting and sucking, lips molded with each other, wet yet heated all at once. Elijah’s movements are faster and harder, and Hayley’s second orgasm since this shower had ensued was close, and she was sure Elijah’s own release would happen soon, too.

“Gods, ‘Lijah… fuck… harder, ‘Lijah,” she mumbles against his lips, her fingers tugging lightly on his hair.

“Fuck, yes, Hayley…” he groans in her ear as he continues to thrust into her.

“Oh, Elijah… fuck…” she pants, her hands moving to his shoulder blades, nails digging into his skin, causing him to grunt. Finally, after one more thrust he spills into her, and his grip on her thighs tightens, and she, too, reaches her own release. Elijah sets her down, and she wraps her arms around his neck, pulling him to her, and meets his lips for another kiss while Elijah holds her lightly by the shoulder blades. Once air becomes a necessity, their pull away, though Elijah rests his forehead against hers, and rubs his nose against hers.

“That was… wow…” she mumbles against his lips, and he chuckles.

“Yes, it was, my love,” he agrees. “But, perhaps we should consider actually cleaning ourselves?” he suggests, and she nods, smirking slightly. She’s already gripping the sponge and she brings it to his back, and Elijah tenses briefly before relaxing as she begins to wash him slowly.

* * *

Washing each other eventually leads to more shower sex, but eventually they manage to pull away from each other and get out. They get ready in silence, flitting around the room at vampire speed, but eventually they’re both ready so they get into Elijah’s car and drive back to the Quarter, the scenery washing by, eventually morphing into the tall sky scrapers of the city’s business areas, and then making way for the cobbled streets and traditional buildings of the French Quarter. Elijah parks inside the Mikaelson’s compound, and they both exit swiftly, and Hayley takes his hand, squeezing it reassuringly. It was early evening, barely after dawn, the sky darker, with a few hints of orange and purple, the only evidence of the sunset. They make their way around the compound, and conclude that the others might be in the study, so they both vamp-speed there, but stop dead in their tracks at the door. Hayley gasps, and grips Elijah’s hand tightly while Elijah averts his gaze.

“Oh, bloody hell!” Rebekah exclaims as she scrambles off of Marcel, who is quickly zipping up his pants, and rubbing the back of his neck nervously. Rebekah, for her part, is quickly trying to make herself look more presentable.

“Cat got your tongue, Marcel?” Hayley quips, amused. When she glances at Elijah, she notices a hint of red covering his cheeks, and this amuses her even more. Elijah, on the other hand, looks absolutely stupefied.

Marcel just rolls his eyes in response. “Looks like it got Elijah’s,” he remarks drily. Finally, Elijah looks, well, not exactly at Marcel and Rebekah, but in their general direction.

“Hello, Marcellus. Sister,” he greets them pleasantly while Hayley’s eyes dart between the two. There’s a pregnant pause as the four of them continue to stare at each other, their expressions ranging from shock, to surprise, to curiosity, to confusion.

“So, uh, what exactly… what exactly is going on here?” Hayley finally manages to ask.

“Well, Rebekah and I,” Marcel starts, rubbing his face nervously, but Rebekah interrupts him, clearing her throat.

“Let’s just say that we’ve both been idiots in the past, me most recently, but we- I realized that when you love someone for centuries, it’s worth taking a risk for. And, I realized I can’t have children of my own, but that doesn’t mean I can’t be happy. And, Marcel here makes me happy. And, I’ve been too stupid, too wrapped up in my own pain to realize that happiness is a choice. So, I finally decided to take a leap and make that choice,” she announces seriously, and takes Marcel’s hand in hers, squeezing it.

“Yeah, that’s the gist of it,” Marcel shrugs, and trails off.

“Well, then, I for one am glad, Marcellus. I hope we’ll welcome you to the family soon enough,” Elijah says, and extends his hand to shake Marcel’s. Hayley can’t help but smile as the two men shake hands, and Rebekah looks happy, too.

“I’m happy for you two,” she tells them, smiling at them both. It’s in that moment, as she’s moving her hands and smiling at both Rebekah and Marcel that Rebekah notices the ring on her finger. The Mikaelson sister’s eyes widen, and she lets out a loud shriek, her hands flying to her mouth. Marcel turns to her in concern, before his eyes follow Rebekah’s gaze and he notices the ring himself.

“Oh,” is all he says. Then, Rebekah lets out another loud shriek before throwing herself at her, and Hayley barely manages to wrap her own arms around her as the Mikaelson sister is squeezing the life out of her while squealing loudly in excitement.

“Congratulations! I’m so happy for you! Oh, Hayley, this is so amazing!” she practically screams in Hayley’s ear. Hayley just laughs, and hugs Rebekah back while Elijah and Marcel watch them, both confused. Then, there’s the loud sound of footsteps rushing towards them, and the four of them turn to find Hope running towards them.

“Mom! Uncle Elijah!” Hope exclaims before throwing herself in Hayley’s arms. “You’re back!” she exclaims cheerfully.

“Hey!” Hayley greets her, hugging her back tightly. “I’ve missed you!” she tells Hope, and Hope only hugs her tighter. Finally, after another squeeze, she pulls away and turns to Elijah. There’s a moment in which no one moves, or says a thing, before Hope moves towards her uncle and pulls him in for a hug. Elijah doesn’t know exactly how to react at first, so he stands still before finally returning the hug. When Hope finally looks away, she and Elijah exchange a look Hayley can’t quite decipher before Hope turns to Rebekah.

“What were you screaming about?”

“Your mom and Elijah. They’re getting married!” Rebekah exclaims before reaching for Hayley’s left hand. “_Look_,” she says pointedly as she practically shoves the ring in Hope’s face.

“That’s amazing!” Hope exclaims cheerfully and throws her arms around her once more. Hayley barely manages to wrap her arms around her daughter to return the hug before Hope pulls away to get a better look at the ring. Then, she hugs Elijah, again, a fact that surprises just about everyone in the room. Then, Hope and Rebekah are cheering excitedly, and loudly, and Hayley hears two sets of footsteps coming towards them.

“What the bloody hell is this racket?” Klaus demands as soon as he enters, Caroline not far behind. Upon seeing them, Hayley notes three things. Firstly, that they were coming from the same direction which meant they’d been together. Secondly, that Caroline was wearing a grey henley tucked in her jeans, and the henley definitely didn’t belong to her. Thirdly, that Caroline’s hair was ruffled in the way it could be only by one running their fingers repeatedly through it. All of these things combined make it very clear as to what exactly Klaus and Caroline had been doing until then, but Hayley doesn’t say anything. “Well?” Klaus demands, his eyes darting between all of them.

“Hayley and Elijah are getting married!” Rebekah exclaims cheerfully.

“Oh my God!” Caroline shrieks before turning her attention to Hayley. “This is amazing! Oh my Gosh! I never, I mean, I sort of didn’t expect you two to progress past stolen glances after Elijah came back, but this is… this is so awesome! So, when’s the wedding? What are we thinking in terms of bridal/groom parties? Dress? Venue?” she starts firing, and Hayley can’t help but laugh, amused. “Oooh! Let me see the ring!” Caroline orders, pulling Hayley’s hand, and her, Rebekah and Hope all begin admiring the ring, gushing and squealing as they turn her hand every which way. Meanwhile, Klaus pulls Elijah in for a hug and Marcel offers his ‘congratulations’ as well.

“It’s bloody gorgeous!” Rebekah beams before going to give her older brother another hug.

“It is! Mom, it- it looks amazing, I’m so happy for you two!” Hope smiles at her, her blue eyes shining, and Hayley smiles back.

“Caroline, calm down,” she sighs, rolling her eyes. “Stop with the twenty questions, we don’t even know _when_we’re getting married,” she tells the blonde. “Besides, I kind of want to wait until after we deal with the Hollow to get married. But, when I do, I will definitely ask you for help,” Hayley tells her in an attempt to not disappoint her fully. Caroline pouts, but nods, albeit reluctantly. “Maybe you can help make sure that all members of this family make it to the wedding,” she adds with a chuckle.

“Right,” the blonde vampire rolls her eyes. “Congrats! Anyways, I am really happy for you guys. No one deserves this more than you,” she adds with a smile, though Hayley notices a slight hint of sadness in her eyes and knows it has to do with what happened on Caroline’s wedding day.

“Congratulations, Little Wolf,” Klaus says and pulls Hayley in for a hug she returns eagerly.

“Thanks, Klaus,” she says softly, squeezing him back. When they pull away, she returns to Elijah’s side, and takes his hand.


End file.
